Hi, Martooni. Hi, Cassandra.

i'm second ?

Third? In any event, I'm running for the bus early. Chiao. So to speak.

I have a much squishier picture in my head of what being under a bus means than being in the luggage compartment. That's still *in* the bus if you ask me.

I guess the better way to put what Obama did vis a vis Wright this week was to "back him 1000 percent." Historically speaking, doesn't that mean the same thing as "threw him under a bus"?

Redhead alert on the Sklar pictures. Marcia Cross looking very good. And Amy Argetsinger looks absolutely scrumptious.

In my April 13 post (right after Mark Penn quit/got fired) I used the following phrase:

"The rest of the column is the weekly Dowd update on how the wheels are coming off the bus while at the same time [Hillary] keeps throwing advisors under the bus."

http://dowdreport.blogspot.com/2008/04/dance-dance-innuendo.html

One of my loyal fans (well, THE loyal fan, my blog is the Flight of the Conchords of DowdWatching) particularly liked that phrase.

That post got a lot of GoogleHits because it features a video of Hillary getting funky.

Yes, TBG, being "backed 1000%" (especially by Bush) is what happens immediately before being thrown under the bus. In our office the bus phrase is used frequently whenever blame for something is passed around within ear shot of the boss. The typical locution is for the aggrieved party to say "Thanks, way to throw me under the bus."

I think it means to cut ties, jettison people like bad luggage, and then run over them.. repeatedly... so there's no way they can come back to bother you again.

The implication is that it's coldblooded and brutally indifferent.

I don't think this has been the case with Obama. However Hillary had no problems saying she'd have thrown Wright under the bus. "You didn't get fully onboard with my message fast enough? Out you go, and don't bother to send me a thank-you note for the tire treads on your back."

Backing somebody 1000 percent is more like the Judas kiss, TBG, I would think.

I agree with the position that vetting everyone in your life as a potential political embarrassment is not a very admirable trait. So I stand by my earlier opinion that Obama was correct in how he earlier dealt with Wright. And I think Obama has handled this latest outburst correctly too.

Wright's sin, to me, was not his outrageous opinions. I know many people with outrageous opinions who I refuse to exclude from my life. And I'm sure many of them feel the same about me.

Wright's offense was to call Obama a liar. To insist that Obama secretly agreed with him. This is where Wright crossed the line to shamefully rude.

So I reject the notion that Obama tossed Wright under a bus, a cab, or any other vehicular conveyance. I think Wright went running full bore in an attempt to push Obama into traffic, and Obama simply stepped out of the way.

Great analogy, rd.

What RD said!

I agree, RD.

When I was a kid we had an expression about throwing someone under the stagecoach. I think it came from really old reruns of the Lone Ranger.

I've got to stop listening and watching the news. I'm getting really cranky as some of the punditocracy now wonders if Obama waited too long and wasn't somehow passionate enough in his denouncement of Wright. Oh, for crying out loud! Blah, blah, blah! Haven't we had enough of the "bring 'em on, my way or the highway, shoot from the hip bravado craziness? Give me someone thoughtful and not given to hasty gut reactions after 7 years of the Decider and his know it all crowd. Whew, I feel better, thanks!

Also, I'm glad to hear Bad Sneakers is on the mend!

I have a lifelong friend who is nevertheless a fool. I would prefer not to damage him by calling him such, either man-to-man or publicly. Perhaps that is Obama's conundrum. And I just don't need an angry man for a preacher. I need someone who turneth me away from wrath.

And, yello, I said "most people" don't think Bush acted with malice aforethought.

Hey, thanks for those "attaboys." They are *very much* appreciated!

Not really here. TBG, yes, I see the same mental pic. But from a more Italian point of view, ya know? RD, once again -- succinct and spot-on. Omni, I couldn't see the shoes!
Happy day all.

Why aren't the punditry talking about real national issues?

Add another "attaboy," RD.

:-)

I listened to Rev. Wright's signature "Audacity To Hope" speech (link available on my blog) this morning and it was a very inspirational gentle sermon. I can't reconcile it with the tirades from his current barnstorming tour.

http://dowdreport.blogspot.com/2008/04/angry-young-man.html

Dowd blames Obama's uncritical acceptance of Wright's rhetoric on his attempts to appear as an authentic African-American which left him tone deaf to the problems a white audience would have with those words.

In a way, she is saying that multi-racial Barack bent over backwards to "pass" as Black and now that he needs to appeal to white voters, it is coming back to haunt him.

Cyndi Lauper sang the opening song for PeeWee's Playhouse:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp7G18nQxvU

Cyndi reminds me of the Goonies Movie, which although flawed, is a good one.
I believe I am on-kit.

And, the bus phrase reminds me of the old chestnut:

dropped like a hot potato.

I think with this past week's antics, Rev. Wright has jumped the shark.

bc

One of your colleagues defined this phrase a few weeks ago, Joel. Jeanne Marie Laskas said, "Politicians and pundits need to stop throwing one another under the bus if only because they are getting sloppy with the definition and will soon rob the rest of us of a perfectly functioning relational tool. You throw people you love under the bus, and you do it to make yourself seem vaguely more acceptable to others, all the while knowing that your loved one would likewise throw you: You are each other's shield."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/08/AR2008040802041.html

For her, throwing someone under the bus is an act of self-preservation in which you blame someone else for your shortcomings, knowing that the other person is willing to take the hit for you. Quite different from the "cutting ties to save myself" idea that underlies most recent uses.

Check out her examples.

Mo MoDo, I have one answer: age, bitterness, mayhap a little senility or ossification of the brain.

Many people have their fine moments and their horrible moments, especially when they move into realms they are ill-suited to. (How well do I know that!).

His remarks (much circulated) already showed he had a tin ear for the politics of most of America.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. --Abraham Lincoln

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.--Mark Twain

It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than open one's mouth and remove all doubt.-- Samuel Johnson

I mentioned to my husband yesterday morning that both African-Americans columnists Bob Herbert (NYT) and Eugene Robinson (WaPo) used "under the bus" in their columns yesterday morning to describe the Wright-Wrong-Stuff brouhaha.

But the word "bus" is definitely on my mind, since I just stepped off of one, having been called today for jury duty at the Bexar County Justice Center downtown. It's been a long day in the bowels of this justice center--in a cavernous room in the dark, gloomy basement of the building--what few windows and little sunlight there are down there, with a view of a tiny courtyard, are presently obstructed by construction plastic and scaffolding.

We were finally dismissed at 2:50 p.m., and I crossed the threshold of our home at 4:31 p.m. Thank goodness my husband drove me downtown this morning, so fearful was I that I would soil myself during the 90-minute trip since there are no restrooms at the bus stops or on the buses. (It's always worse in the mornings.)

Around 8:30 a.m., Judge David Berchelmann Jr. addressed the several hundred of us who had been summoned and were packed into rows of seats like sardines. This short judge had taken an antihistamine and had stayed up to watch last night's Spurs game, so was pretty groggy. The one interesting thing he said in his folksy talk about the difference between civil and criminal trials was to mention the local newsmaker--the upcoming trials of the members of the polygamist sect of Eldorado.

According to the local paper, the first trial will begin on May 19. That is one trial I would like to sit, especially given the fact that Loomis descendants played a significant role in the founding of the Mormon church, as I have mentioned. Many of the minors from the ranch have been placed in foster homes in San Antonio through Texas Child Protective Services. One 18-year-old gave birth in the last day or so in San Marcos, and this is her second child, according to a front-page story today. I thought I heard the judge say that because of the caseloads generated by the raid on the West Texas compound, many of the cases will be fanned out in courts across Texas. I'd check with the judge on that, since my mind was wandering a bit--not enough coffee.

The cafeteria in the basement served horrible breakfast tacos during our morning break--some of the worst that I have ever eaten--not worth the buck-plus. Went to lunch with four other potential jurors. Josie suggested the 207-year-old Cadillac Bar less than a block from the courthouse, which is about how old the tortilla chips that they served tasted. Some of the worst Mexican food that I've eaten ever in town and pricey, given the poor quality.

Interesting lunch conversation about natural disasters. The retired elementary school principal--I have forgotten her name, witnessed, from the schoolyard, the touchdown of the Cat 5 tornado in Jarrell. Felix (medical supplies, BAMC), the only male among us, felt the very recent earthquake just south of town, because he lives on the Southside, where he hears gunshots every night. How sad. Josie (medical supplies, Audie Murphy VA Hospital) was serving at Fort Ord, Calif., when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit. Rayna, the wife of a retired Air Force officer--he had attended the academy in Colorado Springs, had a family who experienced a terrible tornado in the Midwest and survived. She also had taken tap lessons as a young girl in Council Bluffs, Iowa, from a Black tap instructor who had taught Bojangles a few moves.

Interesting company, long day. I did walk over with the rest of the group to Main Plaza to stretch our legs; I particularly wanted to see the progress still ongoing on Hardberger's Folly--the $12 million renovation project. I am far less than fond of what they have done to the space although I sure the $10 million the city and county put forth have fixed the drainage problems that plagued the area. And the initial designs were so promising!

When we were dismissed shortly before 3 p.m., it seemed only the former principal would be called.

The judge, after he spoke to us from the podium in the morning, exited down a side hall. From where I was seated at row's end, I could see his expensive suit and tie and his white athletic shoes. How odd. He ended his talk to us with "Go Spurs!" Equally as weird.

My rump is sore from the hours spent in the belly of the justice building and riding the bus. Being on the bus is certainly better than being thrown under it, I have to admit. Interesting, too, that one of the seats was labeled as dedicated to Rosa Parks, with her picture in the ad space above the seat.

I think Laskas's usage is a little closer to "taking one for the team."

We always used to say throw you under a train,but my Dad worked for the B&O railroad(now CSX)for 30 years and we were always around trains.I still get excited everytime i see a train or hear a train whistle. That is except those 2 times when I got my car stuck on the RR tracks, but that is a whole different story there.

I thought it was "Throw Momma Off A Train", greenwithenvy. Learn something new daily. It was a sultry night, I hear.

By the way, this lawsuit seems a few decades late, doesn't it? It must have taken them that long to find a lawyer who would keep a straight face throughout, poor souls.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080430/ap_on_re_eu/greece_lesbian_pride;_ylt=ApXBgtoIdd8HZnEAnHap9c9bbBAF

Reposting from the last boodle...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I *think* that at one time recently we were speaking of Martoonie's bread-making efforts.

Here's an article in today's Dead Tree Ed. about making home-made bread.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/29/AR2008042900497.html?hpid=artslot

There was another article in That Other Paper of a novel bread-making method a few months ago. I may dig it up later after I come off the effects of the mind-bending medicines that had earlier been prescribed. Evidently insomnia and hallucinations are not therapeutic, just *interesting.*

The Doc's given me another pair of meds to try. Let's see what I *see* with this new stuff.

Bad Sneaks, I'm glad you're doing so well.

Speaking of hallucinations, the discoverer of LSD's obit was in today's papers. He was 102!

Peace out, peeps!

Posted by: Maggie O'D | April 30, 2008 4:22 PM

But "taking one for the team" implies a choice on the part of the person doing the taking, yellojkt. So that doesn't quite fit the Obama/Wright situation.

Patti Page sang it.

Throw mama from the train a kiss, a kiss
Wave mama from the train a goodbye
Throw mama from the train a kiss a kiss
And don't cry, my baby, don't cry

How I miss that sweet lady with her old-country touch
Miss her quaint broken English called *Pennsylvania Dutch*
I can still see her there at the station that day
Calling out to her baby as the train pulled away

Throw mama from the train a kiss, a kiss
Dry mama all your tears, won't you try?
Throw mama from the train a kiss, a kiss
And eat mama up all her pie

Can't believe that she's gone now, it's a lonely old town
Yet I know that her heavenly love keeps looking down
'cause whenever I happen to be passing through
I could swear she was there with the warmth I once knew

And I
Throw mama from the train a kiss, a kiss
Wave mama from the train a goodbye
Throw mama from the train a kiss, a kiss
And she throws one back from up high

Maggie, I have that novel bread-recipe on my computer, but don't want to steal your thunder. If you would like me to post it, let me know.

I have made it numerous times (the only reason I haven't done so more often is that you need to know you want bread at least 24 hours in advance) and I do think, if done exactly as suggested, it makes the best loaf this side of the Atlantic. Super-crisp thick crust, dense crumb, fantastic flavour. *Not* for those who prize "fluffy" or "light" as a quality in the staff of life.

Kim, I so agree with you. After being home all day and watching more than my share of the so-called news, I just have had it.

RD, I agree with your comments this morning and think you nailed it with your comment a while ago about Obama and Wright. The pastor seemed almost reasonable in what I saw of the Moyers interview. It was all downhill from there.

Maggie, hallucinations! Wow, all I get is sleepy and dopey, the remaining five dwarfs are no where to be seen.

Ok, just looked thru the Sklar pics of the dinner and I have a question, Donatela Versace and Dana Bash-separated at birth? Why were all those Hollywood types at that thing? I realize someone invited them, but why would they want to be there?

Yoki,
Thanks, I'd love that recipe. I was going to look it up in the archives when I was less woozy, but I'd appreciate not having to do it.

I tell you: I've never been so woozy. Never! I feel like someone from The Days of Wine and Roses.

Bad Sneaks -- keep healing. We'll have an enchilada-fest when you give the word.

Maggie O -- I hope the meds help. Wow. Broken ribs, like a prize fighter.

Thinking of train sayings:

She'sa riding a gravy train with biscuits wheels. (Life o Riley, etc.)

Nice caboose.

About his brain, well that train done left the station, long ago. (dementia).

Right on, RD! And then Wright was in traffic and is suffering the logical consequences.

Am making a faux or facsimile carbonara -- CPBoy loves this. Chilly here, and some comfort "blonde" pasta seems perfect.

My favorite train song, The Train The Call the City of New Orleans, sung here by Arlo Guthrie, and written by Steve Goodman, who was revered in Chicago and who died young of leukemia, is here.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OfxoM6trtZE&feature=related

Lyrics here.

http://www.folkblues.com/goodman/cono.htm

Poor Maggie. The ribs are bad enough, but when the meds aren't even fun! Take care of yourself.

Here is the magic bread recipe. The article itself is well worth a read if you are a cook. Oddly enough, this showed up in Canada's National Newspaper just last weekend, well after all the chatter on blogs and other newspapers had stopped. That's Canada for you!

From the NY Times, November 8, 2006

No-Knead Bread

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.

Yoki -- tell more about the flour....will this allow for 1/3 whole wheat? King Arthur Flour? Any other thoughts?

Sounds heavenly. And in a crock. Very cowboy. But better.

Dearies,

Have you seen the King Arthur Baking Book? It got great reviews about 2 or 3 years ago.

Yoki, 2 and a half pound bread. Is that heavy or ordinary compared to a good bakery bread?

For 14-20 hours to wait for the bread to form, I would prefer the martooni method: shout at it.

RD, you're the man.

Maggie, fortunately, there are no laws regarding Boodling Under the Influence (BUI).

CP, faux carbonara? Do tell.
I do love carbonara; but the real turn-my-blood-to-peanut-butter deal.

Mmmm mmmm mmmm.

I would add that it's not necessarily so bad to be thrown under a buss...

I'm aware of more bus and train sayings, but they're all tasteless or unsuitable for a Family Boodle, and they're phrases I don't employ anyway.

With the possible exception being the length of any bus Mudge may be riding on.

bc

This was one of my first favorite rock n roll songs, just so happens it's about train. It took me from listening to the Partridge family to real rock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4UY8SAxFZw

Also like the Who's 5:15

Maggie, that is at least 1/2 the magic; you can do this with any flour. All whole wheat, some ww and some rye, or some rye and some white, or a mixed whole grain, or a mad make-your-own (I once did ww, rye, flaxseed, cornmeal and something else). I'm even told you can do all rye (though that frightens me and I have never tried it), and that is not just magic, its a miracle! It always turns out beautifully.

Exactly, NDGirl.

Wright got thrown under the bus. He was abandoned despite previous loyalty once he became a liability. In the WaPoMag article, all the relatives took one for the team by letting them be a scapegoat for someone else's unpopular action.

Another "attaboy" for RD and also "attagirl" for Kim, you all say it so well, now to backboodle, to see what else I have missed.

Joel, enjoyed all the pics you linked, don't know most of them, but still, they were pretty, pretty people.

Gee Yoki, if it can be made with whole wheat flour and flaxseed then I think I'll give it a try as well. I will be around for the next day or so to keep an eye on it and it sounds like a nap on my part wouldn't ruin it.I just checked and I even have rapid rise yeast on hand. Finding things to do when I'm not 100 percent is difficult.

Glad you're feeling better, Maggie.

Sneakers, happy you had a good outcome.

RD, thanks for asking about the food thing. It is tight when one lives on a fixed income, but God is good. And your answer concerning Obama and Wright was good too.

I think Obama did the right thing when faced with the choice of "throwing Rev. Wright under the bus" or speaking about the problems we face as a country with the issue of race. He framed it as a broader problem, and that is exactly what it is.

I've heard the phrase "throwing someone under the bus" a lot the past couple of days, even my dad is using it. And the talking heads on the television seem to know only that phrase.

I am so tired, and have the g-girl tonight. She's already in the bed, and grandma getting ready to join her. I just wanted to say good night, and ask my friends here to keep all poor people in your prayers, as well as me.

Sweet dreams.

As a bread baker of long standing, the one thing I can tell you is that the trick to superior bread including Yoki's recipe for a Batter Bread, which is what this is, is to remember the flour. You can change and play with whatever you want in a basic recipe but you must remember that different flours will absorb moisture differently and all flours mix according to how humid your weather is. If your air is very humid you need to adjust the amount fo flour you use. The texture of the batter needs to be right for the recipe to work. But if you want to play baker in a very reliable way, do try your hand at Batter Breads. They make superior toast.

And if you are really adventurous, make a real sourdough by leaving a flour, sugar water mix sitting out for a couple days to gather and grow wild yeasts. This makes fantastic bread if you can stand the hassle of feeding your yeast. Its like a pet that takes over the fridge.

Also, in case anyone has adventures in Bread such as Martooni did (I need to backboodle for final results, tooni), but an aunt of mine swore by this maxim: If the bread doesn't turn out, blame the yeast.

Faxing Cassandra rest and good bread, and Bad Sneakers ease and speedy healing.

What you said, RD.

We had a copyright infringement case a couple of years ago, and in talking with one of the opposing attorneys (multiple defendants in that one), we noticed that she actually threw several of the persons she was defending under the bus -- as we knew she would. It was amazing to witness, however -- even over the phone.

Human nature can be both inhuman and natural. And more's the pity.

Good to have the boodle, though.

Off to an early night after emptying out the dishwasher.

Toodles, boodlers.

Along with the yeast and other ingredients, "a warm place" is tops on my list for making rolls. I make roll dough that can stay in the frig, but then must form the rolls, then find the "warm place", usually timing it so that the pan of rolls, covered by an old, clean, thin cloth, can sit on the counter in sunlight to rise. Or some other sunny place in the house. Our house is not all that warm in the wintertime. We just put on sweaters, but that dough needs "a warm place" to rise.

Come to think about it, I've made pans of rolls that were so sad, they should have been thrown under a bus. :-)

Which bus, Vintage Lady? I do get those wheat cravings once in a while...

Sadly enough I had never actually known what carbonara was before I looked it up, bc. It does sound like a great quick meal.

Incidentally, I was watching the truth about food and they claim abundant dairy products (and calcium) in your diet can inhibit fat absorption twice as much as the baseline.

That was an interesting scientific study, if a little graphic. Bottom line: never forget the cheese in the carbonara.

John Stewart just did a hilarious "threw him under the bus" montage. Joel keeps getting ripped off by the MSM.

Carbonara pasta is one of the food of the gods Wilbrod. I discovered this treasure (with beautiful Gabriella) in the late 70's. What can go wrong with cream, pancetta and parmigiano on pasta?

There is a lion on the loose 65 miles north of here. Mr. Whiteduck (got to love the name) of the Kitigan Zibi Algonquin reserve lost Boomer after it's after dinner walk. Oops. Whiteduck doesn't have a license for the 150 lbs baby lion, so he clains the lion just wandered in. Hummm. Nearby Papineau-Labelle and La Vérandrye parks are known for their packs of wolves, not their prides of lions. The sweetie will probably wander back to civilization when he's hungry enough.
http://www.ctvottawa.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20080430/OTT_Lion_Loose_080430/20080430/?hub=OttawaHome
What a joke that Wright thing has become. Every repub pundit is weighing in on how Obama didn't threw him under the bus soon enough, fast enough, farther enough... And of course the fact that he did serve 6 years as a Marine doesn't seem to make him patriotic enough.
It would be nice of them to condenm in the same terms the collected work of Billy Graham, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell.

SCC its, carp.
And I think there is butter in the original carbonara but I usually shun it.

I checked the Iowa Electronic Markets and Obama's lead for the nomination (and the election) is holding up. I'm not looking forward to five months of commercials featuring Wright and every other public figure in Chicago who's ever said something noxious. Perhaps Mayor Daley, even. Obama himself might be blamed for Hawaiian separatism http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080430/BREAKING01/80430029&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

Yes, Chicago is certainly the armpit of America all of a sudden.

Two words: Keating five.

Ah Dave, whom to blame for Hawaiian separatism? The list is long and depends on who you ask. In any case, don't know what these people expected to accomplish, other than a lot of press. The Hawaiian community is so fractured, I doubt I will ever see any resolution for them in my lifetime. Or even in my kids' lifetime.

As for blaming stuff on Obama, people will conjure up all kinds of stuff, based on fact or not. I fear another exhausting campaign season will consume our world very soon. If it hasn't already.

Goodmorning! Coffees on. In a little over an hour I'll be hopping on a bus and taking 2 other trains to work. I have a fear that I too, will eventually get thrown under a bus or train, as a mix of VIPs, tourists, commuters, pull luggage and otherwise people who don't know where they are, or know where they are going will undoubtably populate the Metro this morning.

Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of LSD, took his final trip yesterday. Here is the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann

DandyLion, I'll be praying your guardian angels don't throw you under the bus or train, too.

Travel well!

Joel, I'm astounded Segal didn't offer you a shared byline (or at least an oblique deferential mention)...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043003607.html?hpid=topnews

*extended salute to Spec. Brown and a continued headscratch regarding the Pentagon policy discussed in the article*

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043003415.html?hpid=topnews

Although I'm not going to read Novak, judging from the WaPo teaser, he seems to think Obama should have been standing behind Rev. Wright with a large club, waiting for any untoward utterance... *rolling my very-tired-of-rolling-but-whaddayagonnado eyes*

Since I'm not really awake enough to claim coherency, I'll refrain from attempting to craft a witticism regarding bus impacts, fashion designers and TV political reporters...

*now-enjoying-all-the-benefits-of-homeownership-and-scrambling-to-find-a-moving-company Grover waves*

:-)

God loves us so much more than we can imagine through Him that died for all, Jesus Christ.

Good morning, friends. Scotty, I cannot read Bob. He's too,...., and more. Dandylion, please be careful. I want to go back to bed and just sleep some more, but, alas, the "bus" will appear shortly and we must meet it.

Morning, Mudge, Martooni, Slyness, and all. So hard to throw the hand up for a *wave*.

Not too much on tap for today. It feels like I cram everything in one day. I need to find the coffee. My phone rings all day and half the night from people I don't know. I'm assuming these folks are the ones calling about voting. My state's voting record isn't very good, so people call to encourage "us" to vote, and more than likely tell us who to vote for. Here everyone is encouraging people to vote early. I'm waiting to the last minute. Obama had people to come to my community. I have not seen anything of Clinton, not even a flyer. I wonder if that means she's counting us out?

Have a great day, folks. The weather person is promising beautiful weather here. With great weather, the kids can hardly keep their minds on lessons. And the adults have a pretty hard time remaining on task also. Hope it's nice where you are.

The Daily Show clip is here:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=167429&title=festival-of-wrights

The "under the bus" rant starts at about 5:55 if you are in a hurry.

'Morning, Boodle. I see Scotty and Cassandra are already up and moving, so I better shake a leg before I board the bus everyone is being thrown under, which makes for a bumpy ride.

The Jonathon Alter piece on pandering that Joel linked to above is quite convincing and -- as our legal confreres like to put it -- dispositive.

*scratching self and off to prowl for sustenance*

It doesn't matter where the phrase comes from; It doesn't matter where it's going; doesn't matter who threw whom under those spinning smoking tires; we're all still bozos on this bus. . .

Good morning fellow early risers. Why am I awake so early? I love to sleep and have the perfect excuse and yet I'm up at the same time I would be if I were going to work. Ugh! Of course I should be able to nap later. Scotty, you bought a house? Congratulations.

I made Yoki's bread recipe last night. It is sitting comfortably in the oven with the light on and, I hope, doing its thing. I'm looking forward to the results later on today.

Goood morning, everybody!

It's supposed to be a nice day in the Carolinas! I have to buy Mr. T a birthday present today; I'm going to get a Lowe's gift card because I can't think of anything else he would like. But I know that will be acceptable. His birthday is Saturday but we're going to his dad's family's reunion, so dinner tomorrow evening at the poshest seafood place in town...Good thing we should be getting that tax incentive money soon!

Sneaks, glad to hear you're feeling well enough to make bread. I may have to try the recipe...the things I learn on the boodle!

Hey Cassandra! Don't work too hard today. We've been getting phone calls too. Caller ID is such a wonderful thing; I generally just don't answer. Got a call yesterday from Sam Ervin IV, now there's a storied name in NC politics. He's running for a judgeship and I just may have to vote for him!

Two other items, one good, one not so much...

At a college softball game, one player who'd been in a huge slump and never hit a homer jacked one over the center field fence... And blew out her knee as she rounded the bases. If her team helped her, she's out. If another player takes her place, she doesn't get the homer. Players from the OTHER team carried her the rest of the way around the bases. And the homer was the margin of victory for the injured player's team. Nice to see sportsmanship lives.

In the not so much department, about a half-dozen middle-schoolers in Rockville have been suspended and will likely be expelled for bringing a fruit juice/vodka/rum/wine mix TO SCHOOL in water bottles and soda bottles...

*SIGHHHHHHH as I speed-dial NukeSpawn*

'morning all. We got treated with a hard frost on this first day of May.

Boomer, the 150lbs, 6-7 months old kittycat has been captured late last night and is cooling his heels in Maniwaki's city jail. As expected he got hungry and walked up to the cops begging for food. Cute little guy isn't likely to be returned to his former owner apparently.

You're right Scotty, these kids today have no taste at all, the mix sounds disgusting. What's wrong with a simple screwdriver or a vodka&coke?

Novak has the the not soon enough, fast enough or far enough club. What an original thinker. feh.

Oh, and have a good Worker's day comrades.

Here's a picture of Boomer the mean killing machine. He still enjoys a bottle of milk once in a while...
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/05/01/lion-capture.html?ref=rss

Good morning, all! Just thought I would share the cheery news that Washington, D.C. is officially the most congested metro area in the U.S. -

http://realestate.msn.com/Buying/Article_Forbes.aspx?cp-documentid=6987107>1=35000

Forbes/MSN combined data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 American Community Survey -- which measures commuter travel time by car, bus and subway -- to see what percent of each metro's commuters spend 45 minutes or more getting to work -- and guess what? We won!

I could have told them that. I live 7 miles from work (Falls Church to McPherson Square) and it takes me 45 minutes most mornings unless I leave early.

I'm looking forward to when schools get out this summer; traffic is usually better on my route then!

Regarding Novak, I wouldn't read him but couldn't help noticing the word 'swift' in the teaser.

*hearkening back to a classic "Star Trek" spoof in "Cracked" magazine*

May Day! May Day! May Day!

:-)

Why, that's the Russian New Year. We can have a parade and serve hot hors d'oeuvres...

Good Morning to you all,

*Faxing a gift card to Scotty from Home Depot/Lowes/or favorite local hardware store of your choice* concurrent with your homeowner move! We do have a nice family moving company here in Vienna which we've used a couple of times over the years, but I can't remember the name, TBG, do you know who I am talking about?

Sympathy for our NC folks, most of us have been through the "primary communication bombardment". The day after the primary is a blissful day, phonewise, a blessing for sure.

Wilbro, in my household, we usually eat my bread mistakes, even if they "do" appear to have been run over and flattened by a bus; it's the waste not, want not indoctrination, so don't go lookin' under busses for flat potato yeast rolls. :-)

http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/article.php?id=LJS2008050101

Larry Sabato is pretty good this morning with his old math, new math, charts on democratic delegate count and a second piece on shrinking republican somethingorother, which I didn't read, but probably should. Have been ignoring lots of "shoulds and oughts" lately.

Joel got thrown under the bus by his own staff. He posts a blog entry to get ahead of the curve, but WaPo lets David Segal write the dead trees version of the bus cliche story.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043003607.html

Bonus kiddie tune cootie:

The wheels on the bus go round and round...

The wipers on the bus go "swish swish swish."

I assert that the definitive Bus Associated Tune Cootie *must* be Weird Al Yankovic's immortal spoof of Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust," entitled, of course, "Another One Rides The Bus."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-VcU89usjM

Hey Aloha, Happy Lei Day.

And for Florida boodlers of a literary bent (and aren't you all?), I review two Travis McGee novels this morning. And some early Stephenson.

http://livebythefoma.blogspot.com/2008/05/booksfirst-april-2008.html

One of the books is 'Nightmare In Pink' which has a pre-Kesey cameo by lysergic sauer diethylamide. Particularly ironic since Albert Hofmann died yesterday (as linked to by DandyLion earlier). I think we all need to drop some electric kool-aid in tribute.

I miss JDM. A lot.

Weird Al is playing Pier Six in Baltimore on July 11. My wife went and bought tickets yesterday without even clearing it with me. You should have seen the grin on my son's face when she told him. He's a big fan. Go figure.

Pier Six is right next to the Inner Harbor McCormick and Schick's. Hint. Hint.

Also, a happy National Love Day to the Czech Republic - where couples tend to flock to the memorial of the poet Karel Hynek Mácha in Prague and kiss.

His Wiki entry should bring tears to your eyes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_Hynek_M%C3%A1cha

An excellent critique of Mácha's critics, and the poem "Máj":
http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/Slavonic/MachaJedl.html

The most excellent originial Wheels on the Bus Go Round & Round! ;-) Complete with piano accompanyment, tho not Billy Joel.

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/lyrics/wheels.htm

It will stay with you all day, tune cootie, did you say?

In the "clouds are hard" vein, today's Straight Dope classic:

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_060a.html

For LostInThought, you lost me in thought. What Shoes didn't you see?

Well, anyway, there's this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGVJCVeOs1Q&feature=dir

On occasion, my bread and rolls could BE the wheels of the bus. (wishing for italics)

Faxing Sotty a complement of new tools. You'll need those for that home ownership thing.

"Good morning, all! Just thought I would share the cheery news that Washington, D.C. is officially the most congested metro area in the U.S. - "

As I sit here at work this morning with my tissues, my mondo-ginormous cup of tea, my springtime cold courtesy of my little moose, and my completely useless nose, I completely agree with this statement. Looking at the mound of tissues accumulated in my trash can in the mere 45 minutes I've been here, I might be contributing to at least 35% of that congestion.

Wait -- you mean traffic congestion? Oh, yeah, I can agree with that as well.

Just down Loop 1604--San Antonio's outer freeway loop--from us, heading east, one passes the UTSA campus, the new outdoor La Cantera mall, the headquarters of Valero Energy, the I-10 interchange, where one can head to either El Paso or Houston, and then, driving just a few more miles, one comes to Tom's Ribs, which is adjacent to the acreage on which sits Pastor John Hagee's mega-church.

I don't know if any of you saw the fairly recent headline, just about the time that John McCain was touring New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, that Hagee had denounced his own former comments about New Orleans.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/04/mccain-backer-j.html

(story tease before the headline: Mike Huckabee, writing a new book, gets bus time with John McCain--speaking of buses)

McCain backer John Hagee tempers Hurricane Katrina comment

Pastor John Hagee has revised his view of God's wrath, and chances are John McCain couldn't be happier.

Without fanfare, in an e-mail sent the latter part of Friday, Hagee backed off his assertion that Huricane Katrina was the Almighty's punishment of New Orleans because it had planned to host a gay pride parade.

LL: I think some pressure was brought to bear on our own whackadoodle nut job John Hagee. Has McCain been aligned with Hagee for as long as Obama was a congregant in Wright's church--20 years?

That said, our paper has a reprint this morning of reporting done by NYT reporters Michael Powell and Jodi Kantor (perhaps itr runs this morning in the NYT, have yet to go to the NYT website) that explains, starting with the ninth graf, that Obama knew early on that Wright and his rhetoric would not play well with the general America public.

Long story short, Obama had invited Wright to perform the invocation when he announced his candidacy for president in Springfield, Ill., but a magazine (not named)had published some controversial comments made by Wright just before the media event in Springfield. So Obama made a call to Wright asking him not to appear on the Springfield, Ill. stage with him. The headline of the article is titled in our paper as "Obama-Wright ties began fraying at campaign start."

I think David Brooks was quite astute (brilliant?) in his Tuesday NYT op-ed when he attempted to examine the differences in black and white cultures. Maureen Dowd also picked up the theme of black and white cultural differences in her NYT column Wednesday about Obama's political need for psychological patricide.

It's now a question, for Obama's candidacy, of mutual "throwing under the bus." I think the courts have already thrown Warren Jeffs under the bus, perhaps Hagee will be next?

Robert Novak employs the bus metaphor today in his Washington Post column, as does Gail Collins at the NYT today, who writes with a great dose of humor about egotistical men:

Collins:

Middle graf:

We digress [about Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus]. The subject here was the damage that egoistic men can do to a political campaign belonging to somebody else. The Jeremiah Wright event has raised questions about Barack Obama's presidential campaign that go beyond speculating about how aging white voters are going to react. (As an aging white voter, I would like to report that we have moved on and are now concentrating exclusively on the fate of the farm bill.)

Bus metaphor:

Since then, she's [Hillary Clinton] had a long string of painful lessons learned. One is that when beloved associates become political embarrassments, they tend to be much more concerned about their own reputation than yours. Many bodies under the bus later, when she tells you that she'd have dumped Rev. Wright at the first mention of chickens coming home to roost, you'd better believe it.

Closing graf:

We're down to a race between the candidate who claims he will make the political process better but has yet to demonstrate exactly how that works, and the woman who claims she's the only one who's powerful enough to take on the Republican forces of darkness. Don Quixote vs. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Both accompanied by their lieutenants -- the men who think it's all about them.

It's Craig Van Lines, Scotty and I was wrong about Vienna, they are in Fairfax, we have used them twice.

http://www.craigvanlines.com

local for 80 years.

From Salon:

So long, Canada
Strict new border policies are turning Canada into a foreign country. Is
this any way to treat our neighbors?

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/05/01/canadian_border/print.html

I'm speaking with LiT at the moment, omni.

She's out of pocket, but says: "The European mag cover babe you linked to yesterday -- *her* shoes. The only thing in that picture that would interest me would be the shoes. I can't see them! (My guess is that RD didn't notice whether she even had feet.) Thanks for the smile, I needed that today."

bc for LiT

Hark! I hear the mowers roar! Is it the lawnguy approaching?

I was going to stop them this year, but it's just so nice to have someone else do it!

Many thanks, VintageLady. Not sure they consider our neck of the woods "local," but I'll check. :-)

LiT via bc,

You want to see the SHOES?

What kind of sick depraved fetishist are you? Don't answer. I'd rather find out on my own.

Workers of the World Unite! And a Happy May Day to you all.

This "throw under the bus" phrase is rapidly losing all meaning. I agree with RD's assessment of the Obama/Wright situation. I have always thought that "throw under a bus" referred to the sacrifice of another for personal gain, whether the other was close to you or not. Even if one broadens or narrows this basic formula, there must be a personal element. A person must sacrifice an associate of some sort, or an institution must abandon an employee, for percieved gain or to avoid trouble. It can't include people like Warren Jeffs. Nobody threw him under a bus - he broke the law.

The thing I found interesting about both the recent Brooks and Dowd columns was that they didn't really talk about a racial divide at all. Brooks focused on a class, cultural and economic divide which certainly includes racial disparities but is much larger than that. He was suggesting that the educational and economic divisions in the country are creating classes of voters within the same party who define their own needs and values differently, and thus ask different questions of and make different assumptions about the candidates. This is certainly true in Oklahoma and cuts across race lines. This divide disadvantages each candidate. Along the same lines, Maureen Dowd referred to angry black men, but her piece actually described circumstances - betrayal by a mentor or disciple - which have no racial connotation. It could happen to anyone, and does; her point didn't depend on the race of Wright or Obama, but on the nature of their relationship.

Mudge, thanks for posting that article it is sadly very accurate, the tightening of the border is an issue in so many facets of life here.

I grew up treating the border as no different than another province or state, half my relatives are American, many of my friends married Americans but in the last few years the Bush Admin has done an incredible amount of damage to the perceptions about the US and its citizens - I hope the next Administration can repair some of that damage.

I haven't really heard the "thrown under the bus" saying that much, so was struggling to think what I have heard in such circumstances.

"Thrown to the wolves" is probably more common, I think; the MSM probably doesn't like using it for obvious reasons. They also probably don't like being the angry god appeased with a "sacrificial lamb".

LiT -- I like shoes,too. Like cooking and gardening culture, I am happy to just look and read and say ohhhhhhhh. You can be a shoe-ista without being an Imelda about it....

I,for one, luuuuuvvvvvvvvvvvv cute shoes I can ride my bike in......

LiT, here's a better pic: http://gofugyourself.typepad.com/go_fug_yourself/

As of this posting, it's the third pic down. You can see about two thirds of her right shoe. Or about one quarter each of her left AND right SHOES.

The permalink for posterity:

http://gofugyourself.typepad.com/go_fug_yourself/2008/04/fug-or-fab-th-1.html

And it was better without the shoes. All the bling on them takes the outfit just a tad over the top.

Upon closer look, they did not bother to airbrush out any of her freckles.

Ivansmom - Thanks for that very nuanced and intelligent analysis of those two columns.

And I will have everyone know that the very first thing that came to mind when I viewed that striking picture of Ms. Moore is the immense shame and tragedy that her shoes were partially obscured.

Okay... so it was my second thought.

I'm still on "There were shoes?"

Okay, I gave up and looked at the picture. I find the collection of hardware around her neck vaguely disturbing. It looks like some sort of secret martial-arts jewelry design, to be ripped off and employed against an assailant (perhaps a fashion photographer?). Like OddJob's bowler hat. The shoes also look like weapons-grade material to me.

JMoore in that shot does not look relaxed or happy. Without causing a firestorm, may I say that current photo-displays of the harsh, come-hither look miss so much of authentic sexuality. Looking for a quote about this.....rummage, rummage...

In truth (and I mean it) I really did not like the picture. These "high fashion" shots tend to force women into a very narrow definition of "glamor" that appears to be synonymous with a certain extreme form of sexual naughtiness. I believe this is, technically, known as the Miley Cyrus effect.

This is one of my fav pics of Ms. Moore.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm826317568/nm0000194

Granted, you still can't see her shoes.

Here is an article plus web exhibit with lots of examples about varieties of male gaze:

http://www.ltcconline.net/lukas/gender/pages/gaze.htm

I studied this topic a one subset of visual rhetoric -- the use of images to persuade or to underscore an argument (as in evidence for a position).

Miley Cyrus's firestorm about her waif-naked back-Le Mis image fit into this discussion too. The vulnerable ingenue caught....I believe that Girl with a Pearl Earring touches on this archtype also.

I am not a prude or a censor; I do think, however, we all want to be visually literate and alert.

Many adverts and celebrity-art poses (which are selling a 'brand") try to play on that most intimate of moments: that eyes and being caught as if a deer in headlights -- that moment of eyelock that presages or accompanies the beginning of passion or a s3sual encounter is very private. I find it a bit disconcerting that we see this "look" everywhere, to see cars, toothpaste, etc.

----
Not sure this conversation will work in cyberspace...lots of ways to misinterpret....not calling anybody out here, but raising the idea.

I agree CP. Goodness knows I am not shy when it comes to an appreciation of feminine beauty. But I hate to see it devalued.

This is part of a personal philosophy that I know seems very naive to many. There are sensations whose value to ourselves are diminished if treated casually. When "The Look" is seen everywhere, it cannot help but lose its personal impact.

Of course, after two decades of marriage, the most common "Look" I get is the one that means I have, once again, forgotten to put the top on the jar of peanut butter.

Right RD, and in conversation we can banter about all kinds of things; with web strings we don't have facial expressions for the nuance....and Geazy Peazey we are doing this online at the Post -- thank god for masked identities....

Ophrah will dish soon about Tom Cruise and a nicely shaped nether region!!!!

...the funny as in curious inside-outing of private life into public life is one of the most powerful and perplexing changes over the last fifty years, isn't it.

Witness: some acquaintances are engaged in a slugfest over a separation and pending divorce....both blog about it, under veiled names, but we can all see it...I admit to checking in occasionally to be horrified but fascinated.....human to look, like rubber giraffes....

HP finds The Memristor.
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/01/BUUC10EHQM.DTL

I'm back for some Drive-by-Boodling.

I'm sure when LiT can, she'll expand on the footwear topic.

Personally, I can appreciate nice shoes. If someone feels good with a nice pair, that will be apparent in their attitude (ha! I originally typed "attidude"), behavior and dress. I know *I* feel good in a nice pair of knee-high lace-up gladiator sandals. I'll strut around my house like Mick Jagger doing a rooster imitation while singing "Start Me Up" during the first night of a Stones World Tour.

Ivansmom - she was wearing jewelry? (Nice pull with OddJob's hat, BTW)

Ach, more later.

Now, where in the world is the Boss?
I can't believe he hasn't weighed in the bus/train/other cliched transportation metaphor topic today.

bc

As usual, RD, you communicate so clearly. I do say to students that I actually have swear words and they don't. puzzled they are because they are proud of their swear-word laced cool discourse. But, Yoda-like I say:

when swear we often the words casual become.

I could continue to say to them, that their generation has tons of physicality in the Biblical sense but not that much romance. I believe we yearn for romance and must be careful to make sure that these three align:

heart
soul
body

Not just b-parts.

---
Well, my goodness. I sound way too teacherly. Ignore. Off to buy produce at farmer's market in bike basket. Then to class where we are discussion the economics of happiness.

CP,
Are we supposed to pick our favorite ads, because I'm going to need the rest of the afternoon off to give it the attention it deserves. So far I'm partial to Images 5 and 60 (and I think 73 is the same model as 60).

Also, don't tease us with tales of voyeuristic schadenfreude-laden blogs with out links. I may not know the parties but if they are airing dirty linen on the web, I want a look.

I was going to post my Fave Ms. Moore pic, but it my not be considered safe for work. It's from the 'Thomas Crown Affair'.

SCC: my=>may...

Also, after yello mentioned freckles, I gave the Paris Vogue pic a second look. She does appear to be constipated in that photo.

Omni, would this be the magical "now you see it, now you don't" black dress from that film? If so, yeah, not quite work-safe.

omni, omni, omni- In the Thomas Crown affair that was a different comely red head....Renee Russo!

omni,

According to Mr. Skin, you're going to have to rent "Short Cuts" if you want to confirm that Julianne Moore is a natural redhead.

Excerpts of Brooks on Tuesday:

But that's [the cultural scene 55 years ago] all changed. In the decades since, some social divides, mostly involving ethnicity [Brooks does not mention, perhaps skirts, race--I stand corrected.], have narrowed. But others, mostly involving education, have widened. Today there is a mass educated class. The college educated and non-college educated are likely to live in different towns. They have radically different divorce rates and starkly different ways of raising their children. The non-college educated not only earn less, they smoke more, grow more obese and die sooner.

Retailers, home builders and TV executives identify and reinforce these lifestyle clusters. There are more niche offerings and fewer common experiences.

The ensuing segmentation has reshaped politics. We're used to the ideological divide between Red and Blue America. This year's election has revealed a deep cultural gap within the Democratic Party, separating what Stuart Rothenberg calls the two Democratic parties. [So, education and money...]

Dowd on Wednesday (Ivansmom wrote: Maureen Dowd referred to angry black men, but her piece actually described circumstances - betrayal by a mentor or disciple - which have no racial connotation):

He's [Obama's] back on the tricky path he faced as a child, navigating between two racial cultures. At Trinity, he may have ignored what he should have heard because he was trying to assimilate to black culture. Now, he may be outraged by what he belatedly heard because he's trying to relate to the white lunch-pail set.

LL: Speaking of Warren Jeffs (tongue-in- cheek about being thrown under the bus), as I did earlier, and his being thrown into court and jail for at least 10 years on two counts of being an accomplice to you-know-what and withdrawn from society and his immediate cultural or religious group, brings up two questions, not at all related:

How many Catholic priests have been imprisoned for child sexual abuse, possibly you-know-what where a female minor is concerned, say in the last 10 or 20 years? Did all the trials of these individuals result in jail time?

The other comes from my experience yesterday at the Bexar County Justice Center. Part of the lunch conversation at the Cadillac Bar asked about the information that we were required to submit before led into the dungeon-like room where jury members were called. The form asked each individual to state the number of children he or she has, where one works and his or her job title or position, where one's spouse works, and his or her job title or position, and religion.

If one replied that one's religious is the Church of Scientology or Wiccan, would that make one less likely to be called for jury duty. Respondents were supposed to fill out their forms truthfully, but who is to investigate whether one is stating the truth about one's religious affiliation?

My query about Wiccans drew an interesting response from the retired elementary school principal from Leander, Texas. She moved to Alamo City to pursue her love of country and ballroom dancing. On several Friday nights a month, the dance hall where she practices and teaches rents out the facility to Wiccans, and she often stays to observe and dine, about whom she had nothing but nice things to say.

I'm familiar with jury profiling in high-profile cases, but the government wants to know if Jill or Joe goes to a synagogue, church, temple, stays home on Sundays and watches George Stephanopoulos or Tim Russert, or prances about in a wild drumbeat dance by firelight in the woods?

Boodle lawyers?

On a side note, I'd find this more alarming if there were a good plan and resources to accomplish what they're talking about here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043003430_3.html

There are people who won't live in the District because of things like this.

bc

Anyone still watching Carrier? My wife noticed a trend last night. The first episode tends to be action packed with the second being more contemplative.

Earlier fb was mentioning that they should perhaps focus on a junior NCO and how he relates to his peers while still being in a leadership position. They did just such a story last night. He got promoted and had to change cabins. He didn't like it at all.

The final segment of the first episode with the pilots doing night-time pitching deck landings was nail-biting. One of our friends is a retired naval aviator and I got a new-found respect.

The second episode was about faith in all its variations. Some had patriotism as their faith, others had traditional and non-traditional belief systems. They interviewed a guy who thinks he's one of two Jews on the ship. The most interesting story was a Pentecostal guy who fell off the (sexual) abstinence wagon while on shore leave.

D'OH

Yellojkt, of all the wagons to choose, that one is particularly difficult. The worst part is when you hitch a ride on that wagon unintentionally not knowing of the destination or the rules of ridership.

There is a particularly strong Monty Python fan club on that wagon, however.

I don't think the Monty Python Club is on that wagon because they want to be. It just gives them the most room to play Magic.

No no, that wagon provides enough room to re-enact the "Knights of Ni" scene.

Or perhaps the "Castle Anthrax" scene.

On second thought, definitely the "Castle Anthrax" scene.

:-)

Regarding jury selection: the basic questions (name and spouse's name, address, job title and position for juror and spouse) are designed initially to weed out ineligible jurors. In most states certain professions are ineligible for criminal trials, and some for any trials. Address goes to residence in the county, another eligibility requirement. Information on children may be relevant in many civil and criminal cases, depending on the issues in the case.

Lawyers may want information on religion and church-going in general for various reasons. First, some religions forbid or discourage the practice of judging others; those persons clearly can't sit on a trial jury. Others are okay with guilt and innocence but will not allow the believer to impose punishment; that person can't be a criminal trial juror. There are some assumptions people make about regular church-goers; I'm not up on the jury research which suggests whether it is good or bad. Different religions also ascribe to different beliefs, and I don't just mean the god they worship. An attorney in a criminal case may prefer a mainstream Protestant to a Southern Baptist or Assemblies of God parishioner, for instance.

As Loomis says, the religion-type answers are really ones in which you have to take the juror's word. There are some checks on that, though. I don't know whether "Wiccan" on your form would automatically make you more likely to be excused. It would certainly draw a question during the jury questioning process, and it is amazing how answering questions under oath tends to elicit truth, even in a jury questioning setting.

yellojkt, you met LiT at the BPH and you didn't notice her shoes?

Your loss. Seriously.

bc

re: those nicely shaped nether regions: would that be Flanders or Wallonia? (Where's Eurotrash when you really need him?)

bc,

You know how to really hurt a guy. I'm going to have to start paying attention.

Loved this Dana Milbank video on covering the Hillary deathwatch (He's in bed and gets a 3 a.m. phone call...)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2008/04/23/VI2008042300615.html

This just in: the infamous DC Madame, Deborah Jean Palfrey, was found dead at her home in Florida this morning, an apparent suicide. You may remember one of her girls, Brandy Britton, committed suicide shortly before her trial.

http://wtopnews.com/?nid=25&sid=1396668

Happy lei day to you too Omni! Interestingly, May Day isn't as big a deal now as it used to be when I was a kid. My kids' schools aren't doing much to celebrate today. In fact, Alohadaughter's school has scheduled their May Day program for the end of the month! Not sure what that's all about. Some downtown workers are sporting their alohawear but not many. Alohaspouse put on an aloha shirt today instead of his usual sports logo polo shirt. I had no idea he even knew it was May Day...

Big news here is that Aloha Airlines Cargo has shut down and crippled our cargo transport system tremendously. They carried 85% of our cargo between the islands, including the US Mail, medical supplies and products (oops, there's that word again), as well as flowers, produce and baked goods. Oh yeah, and money for the banks. Of course, everyone is pointing fingers at the Gov and lawmakers for not preparing for something like this. Everything is always their fault.

"First, some religions forbid or discourage the practice of judging others; those persons clearly can't sit on a trial jury."

On a recent episode of 30 Rock, Kenneth rejected Jack's attempt to recruit him for the Republican party; he said he didn't vote because "choosing is a sin. I just go into the ballot box and write in the Lord's name."

To which Jack replied, "We count those as ours."

Jesus, mudge. You don't know how much that depresses me.

I'm all too familiar with that story. I don't even post the Brandy Britton links anymore. Sure enough, my blog went from ten hits between noon and one to 518 hits since 1 pm. It means the buzzards are circling.

Just to make it extra ironic, my parents live in Tarpon Springs. Don't recognize the name of the trailer park, though. I'll make sure I go by and drop off some roses the next time I'm in the area.

Upon further reflection, I think Kenneth probably went into the ballot *booth*.

*faxing yello some amytriptiline and Ashley Dupre's phone number*

Thanks, mudge. I think I'm just going to go over to Charlie Sheen's house and let him console me for the weekend.

Out of morbid curiosity I had to Mapquest the trailer park. Two miles from my folks house. I think there is an adult video store on the corner.

I didn't mean to imply anything about the quality of my parent's neighborhood. Along US19 in Pineapple County, saying there is an adult bookstore on the corner is a pretty safe guess no matter what the address.

And when I wondered if I could get Charlie Sheen to console me, I didn't mean him personally. I thought maybe he'd just invite some "friends" over. But if not, I'm okay with that too. It would definitely be a story to tell the grandkids.

I just figure I'm not his type since I don't have a cheerleader uniform. Can I borrow the gladiator outfit, bc? I promise to get it drycleaned.

In reference to bc's 12:52, perhaps we should follow the example of this fictional civilization: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Moth

Re: Asking the religion of a potential juror, is the juror required to answer? I would have a problem with that.

I received the paperwork requests to serve up here on a jury once but it was right after I gave birth to one of my children and was excused because of that. SoC do we ask those questions of jurors?

Just popped in from sawdust land and happened to see on the news that President Head-up-his-butt is going to address the nation about food prices in about 15 minutes.

What the heck a guy who has a personal chef, who hasn't been to a grocery store in the last decade for anything more than a photo-op, and would probably burn ice if given the chance -- what the heck is he going to tell us?

Whatever he says, I know he won't say it with a straight face. He's probably working on his smirk in his gilded tax-payer paid-for bathroom right now.

Predicted quotes:

1. "We're facing tough times." (as if he'd know)

2. "The economy is getting better." (yeah, right)

3. "We're not in a recession." (talk about being out of touch)

4. "The American people are strong and resilient." (especially those with trust funds who were born with silver spoons in their mouths)

5. "It's all Congress's fault." (says the pot to the kettle)

6. "As soon as the Iraqi people stand up and take control of their destiny, it'll all work out." (wait a sec... wrong press conference)

7. "I am a uniter and a decider and I've decided we should all be united and not complain that Costco (what a name) is rationing rice, right here, right now in America in the 21st century. The markets are free and will surely adjust themselves in the favor of consumers!"

I so wish I was a pretzel right now.

I haven't driven US 19, the main north-south road in Pinellas County for maybe 15 years. But back then, the road seemed unending, with shopping malls, car dealers, fast-food places, and whatnot at predictable intervals. So much so that I wondered whether you could do some maths and predict those intervals.

I'm much impressed by Broder's column on Jeremiah Wright today. But the polls indicate Clinton might actually beat McCain in Florida. Obama wouldn't--to the extent that polls so far ahead of the event make any sense at all.

Sorry to hear about Aloha Airlines Cargo. That sounds like instant recession for Hawaii, as if the loss of tourist-bearing passenger flights weren't bad enough.

Dave, match-up polls at this point in the campaign don't mean a darn thing. They have no utility whatsoever, even as "snapshots at this point in time."

DotC,
Trust me US19 hasn't changed a bit in 15 years except that the traffic has doubled. Maybe tripled.

Mudge... they'd get about the same amount of useful info from "today's polls" as they would from a snapshot of the toilet paper I (or anyone) used this morning.

Rorchach tests this early in the game (whether they be ink blots or poop smears) are pretty much pointless and only serve to let us know which non-issues (or manufactured ones) the pundits plan to obsess about this fall.

It's not politics anymore. It's punditry.

It's all about how to make sure nobody with any sense can ever be elected to office, because to have elected officials who are smarter than those who make a living criticizing them, well... that would be disaster for ratings and readership and would probably cut into bobble-head sales.

I'm not sure why, but I feel like a canary in a coal mine, and that's no fart I'm smelling.

Agreed, martooni. (Well, maybe not so much the very last part.)

It's not like I asked you to pull my finger. ;-)

Lions, hookers, and bare ladies, oh my.

Joel, when are you going to throw this kit under you-know-what?

If I remember aright, you're on the jury selection pool for the FLDS trials, Loomis, so religious affilation might be of interest.

The defense lawyer might be seeking to cull a jury that is more sympathetic to "traditional gender roles determined by religious beliefs," and who is convinced that "popular media coverage of religion is often false", especially if they're of a religion that is often misunderstood.

The latter might be more important than the former.

So for religious stereotyping, in fact, I suspect a Wiccan would be more likely to be seated in that case than an Orthodox Jew or a staunch Catholic.

I'm LOL.

Say, where is everybody? It's been a slow afternoon here on the boodle. Kim, you getting ready for a new episode of "Lost" tonight? (Also, A Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes on PBS at 8.)

I was stuck over at that Fugly place. I don't know if I should be horrified that I spent an hour there or not.

Thanks for the heads up on Carrier. Its is fascinating.

Wilbrod, I'm ready to throw it under a bus but am scrambling like mad because tomorrow I fly to .... Australia.

I'll post a new kit by morning. Ralph Nader called me and that's worth kitting, don't you think??

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT:

Caitlin Gibson and Rachel Manteuffel, who wrote the fine Outlook rebuttal to Charlotte Allen, will do some guest blogging here next week. They are very smart and funny. Combined, they're my age.

I'm also going to post some guest kits when I can (bc has one in the works, for example). And from Oz I'll post some photos and a little blogging here and there, but I'll be working on a freelance story (paleontology stuff) and I don't know how often I'll be online.

Don't tell me that Australia has a key democratic primary now, Joel.

I hope you see some kangaroos and not so many of the poisonous snakes out there.

I flew China air through Taiwan once, and they do have a nice hotel with all the amenities, much better than flying Aeroflot.

I have epic stories of Airport Sheremetyevo, including when we finally got a hotel on the trip back... and were basically locked in for over 2 days.

Good luck on your flight.

I did have an editor ask me to file a "Trail" blog item from Australia. I guess to see how Oz views the contest.

They have lots of venomous creatures in Australia, I'm told...yikes.

Look for a new kit tomorrow.

I didn't know Australia had a Democratic primary. Let us know what they think of Rev. Wright.

An article on biosnobbery from the NY Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/29/science/29angi.html?th&emc=th

Happy May Day. An interesting day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1kDw_fh3VA
The Internationale

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJa4fX61WNA&feature=related
Happy Beltane!

Northwestern withdraws honorary degree offer to Rev. Wright

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-northwestern-wright-web-may02,0,4280983.story

I know almost nothing about the venomous critters from Oz, but I'm learning more about the ones that linger around TV cameras.

All I want to know is how does one get paid what they're paid to basically spout b.s. out their pie holes?

I just watched three "experts", including a Dana Mil-somebody from WaPo, say a whole lot of words about absolutely nothing everybody doesn't already know on Hardball with Chris Matthews.

I'm sure pundits are paid by the word, but this is getting ridiculous. They actually were giving airtime to an "argument" about whether the whole "Rev. Wright" issue is really an issue deserving airtime, and then joked that they were dragging it on even further by discussing it. And then they went into a five-to-ten-minute waste of airtime discussing... wait... it's right on the tip of my... doh!... I've forgotten it now. My bad for not getting the message they slipped in between the ads for pills to fix your limp parts and the ones to reduce the size of your overfed ones.

It's a good thing I store my bricks and hammers and explosives out in the shop or I'd be out one television right now.

I think you'd be excellent for the job, 'Tooni. Although you might not want to carry a sledgehammer and try and do a Gallagher watermelon act while interviewing one of those talking heads.

It'd be sidesplittingly funny, though, especially seeing watermelon chunks hit their faces.

I miss Gallagher. Is that balding goofball still making funny?

The chunks I'd like to see the pundits get in the face aren't watermelon, though. (unless that's what was for lunch)

Seriously, it's no secret an entire industry based on hot air and good hair has taken over the airwaves. If you look good and can spew on cue, there's a job for you -- and a good payin' one, apparently.

I wonder how many of the perfectly coiffed "how many times do I gotta tell you I want SOY, not CREAM in my half-caf latte with imported chocolate sprinkles, you stupid imbecile! Now go polish my shoes! All 400 pairs of them!" -- I wonder how many of them had the nerve to jump on the "Obama's an elitist" bandwagon.

I'd venture to say all of them.

And I'll bet $20 not a one of them thinks of themselves as an elitist.

martooni;

I do believe the camera people would demand you be tied down before punditing... Either that or they'd have to bring in some major-league sports kinda cameramen to track your leaping.

:-)

Joel! What an exciting fantastic adventure!

I used to work with a fellow on-loan from Adelaide and he told me all sorts of tales about his homeland. Just remember to pack for Fall. Unless you are heading up North, in which case you should probably pack for easy evacuation.

And I am looking forward to hearing from Ms. Gibson and Ms. Manteuffel. They are both very talented writers.

We promise to be on our best behavior. Which will be easy for me because I probably won't be doing much blogging since I will be working from someplace almost as exotic and exciting as Australia.

The Dulles Corridor.

Sorry I'm late, but I have the frequency.

The frequency is courage.

Scotty... yes, my leaping has been known to cause problems, but not just for camerapeoples. The ones holding the microphone booms have had troubles with me as well. Especially when their microphones pick up what I say.

Now Ms. Gibson and Ms. Manteuffel wouldn't happen to be the two young hotties (*smacks self*) er umm, pretty (*gets another from Mrs. M*) argh....

Okay, so are they the professional, well-educated female writers of an age half of mine (or so) who also happen to be pretty [*ouch! stoppit already!*] and have been featured here by Joel before?

I think I'll go into self-preservation mode now and just shut up.