Its a movement

Dylan endorses Obama. He's also painted his masterpiece(s).

Rip and Read News

Turkey's activist supreme court causes problems: “Turkish Leaders Face Tense Summer” (the Beeb)

“MSW” finds a new use: “Blue Fire Ethanol Bets on Household Trash” (CNET)

Policy differences: “A radical new strategy: kill fewer Muslims” (Economist)

Boundless pessimism: “Little Mideast press optimism for Israel-Syria talks” (BBC Monitor)

Not just the MCAST: “Chinese students implore Confucius for exam luck” (Reuters)

D'oh: “Did Iranian agents dupe Pentagon officials?” (McClatchy)

Thanks, Hillary: “Obama's Clinton problem surfaces — in GOP ads” (McClatchy)

From the Arts and Culture Desk:
“Ozzy Osbourne wins damages over "freak show" slur” (Reuters)

So it goes

I guess I didn't want to believe what I was hearing on the radio the other day. Not Rushbo but NPR played the musings of a New York woman, ironically named Christian, fuming that an "inadequate black man" had "stolen" the nomination only because Clinton is a "white woman."

Ugly and ignorant, in more ways than one.

There's a couple of cliches that apply to the political contests. The first is the old saw that there are only two ways to run for office: scared and unopposed. Hillary and her staff ignored that, big time. Nemesis follows hubris. (See also Giuliani, Rudy.)

The second is attributable to Mario Cuomo: you campaign in poetry, you govern in prose. Listening to all three speeches last night (McSame, Clinton, Obama) it's pretty clear who the poet is.

Just Sayin'

A note to Doug Rubin...the following was attributed to Mayor Daley:
Don't write it if you can say it and don't say it if you can point.

Ol' Straight Talk

Senator McCain says it was inappropriate to use a photo of General Petraeus in his fundraising literature. So why did he do it?

Yep, the straight talk continues. (Click to enlarge)

When Bloggers Strike

Chelan Brown, running against Ben Swan for a state rep seat in Springifeld has a blogger problem. Seems that participants in the Republican's forum discovered that her web site (now down) was essentially a compilation of positions and policy statements taken from other candidates running for office in places like Washington state and Connecticut. Urban Compass has the story. Ms. Brown now claims that the site was hacked, which raises other questions, not the least of which is why would someone take the time and effort on such an elaborate hack? Who in her campaign was monitoring the site and didn't notice the difference? Is campaign rhetoric now so generic that you can cut and paste together policy statements and no one notices until you happen to attach a unrelated graphic?

She also has an address problem that rivals the Awad/Hubley flap here in Amherst. Just where she lives is being challenged by another candidate in the Democratic primary.

Ms. Brown is not stranger to Springfield politics, having run for mayor at age 19 and now operates an advocacy organization. Rep. Swan appears to be above the fray. With the opposition self destructing you can sit back and enjoy the show. I don't think either challenger can topple Swan and see this more of a "getting your name out" operation for when he retires and the seat is open.

Ripped from Headlines

In my (very) old college student radio days we used to do “rip and read” news, tear stories literally from the AP teletype and assemble a newscast, sort of.

Maybe the Revolution will be postponed: “RIM gains U.S. market share, Apple/Motorola lose.” (Reuters)

Watch that 401(k): “Oil bubble could prove threat to pension funds.” (Reuters)

Here comes the sun: “How Abu Dhabi Differs From Exxon” (WaPo)

Fox gets to me too: "Fox News worker sues over bedbugs" (Reuters)

From the Arts and Culture Desk: “Women wrestling sweeps Bolivia” (BBC)

Brimfield and the Presidential Election.

For the last several years I've been visiting the Brimfield flea market, or more properly the Brimfield Antique Show. While I occasionally buy something my purpose is usually photographic -- having been tipped off awhile ago by Stan Kaufman about the prospects for interesting images among the displays. What struck me this year was the extent of political discussion I heard as I wandered around this Saturday (5/17) looking for images to make.

The vendors pretty much know each other and if they don't at first they do get acquainted over the week they spend together on the ground. These are your basic entrepreneurs – engaged in a market and trying to turn a profit from a part or full time business. Trying to match supply and demand with varying degrees of formality. The bottom line is they're there to make a sale. This is market economics at its most basic and one would think that these folks would vote repub.

Suffice it to say they're not happy with Commandate El Busho and more given to wondering how the next prez, whoever that is, will get us out of the mess we're in. The suck up to the Saudis routine didn't go over real well either. No one overheard in a political discussion seemed happy.

While Ebay's cut into the business, Brimfield remains a northeast regional, if not a national, event. So if the entrepreneurial folks assembled here are any indication, McCain will have a difficult time shrugging off Bush and while Obama's not a given, people are willing to listen.

Two more markets are scheduled for this year and it will be interesting to hear what follks are talking about as the summer progresses.

Speaking of photographs

Sic transit gloria Flip Schulke.

Heron returns

Same bird as last year?