WAS THE ROYAL WEDDING “chick crack?”

WELL, OF COURSE: Tony Katz owns Contessa Brewer, ‘race-ers’ on MSNBC. That’s like a major-league pitcher in a Little League game. “But this whole idea of race, you know what, if there are birthers and they’re all crazy and silly for actually wanting to see a birth certificate, well let’s talk about the racers, the people who believe that everything is a conspiracy about race. . . . It’s not his race. It’s that he’s awful. The policies are terrible. ObamaCare is a lie and a failure. QE1 and QE2 didn’t work. It’s crazy.”

FIRST BIRTHERS, NOW IT’S “RACERS:” Watching Royal Wedding, ‘The View’ Idiot Asks ‘Where Are All the Black People?’

THINKPROGRESS: Death To The Unbelievers.

SO MY FLIGHT OUT OF PITTSBURGH TODAY WAS TOO EARLY for me to interview Ted Nugent, who was just coming into town. So my co-anchor Alexis Garcia stepped up and did the interview, and IM’ed me this pic. Not gloating or anything. Just . . . sharing.

WHY DON’T WE HAVE better birth control?

WEATHER IS NOT CLIMATE, unless people die.

DID U.S. NEWS RANKINGS cost law school dean his job?

KHADDAFY’S SON killed by NATO airstrike.

HOT MARRIED SEX: An oxymoron? Or the key to marriage? I’m picking #2.

AT AMAZON, markdowns in Patio, Lawn & Garden.

HOPE: Herman Cain Wins 2012 Presidential Forum in Manchester, New Hampshire.

IN A SHOCKING FAILURE OF SELF-PROMOTION, I forgot to link this column on the Federalist Society and the power of persuasion. Well, I’ve been busy.

DISCORD IN HARVARD’S EDUCATION SCHOOL: Protesters demand more emphasis on community organizing and “social justice,” less on practical training. I guess the higher education bubble news hasn’t gotten there yet. Much of the reaction in the comments, however, is pretty brutal.

On the other hand, the protesters must be a minority because the same place just gave Chris Christie a standing ovation.

UPDATE: Mike Stopa emails:

I saw Christie at Harvard yesterday. He got three standing ovations, actually. I knew it was looking promising when, 30 minutes before the speech the audience was already half full and discussions about Tea Party protests (for Secure Communities in Massachusetts) and the Wisconsin recount could be heard here and there. And I said I belong to the Northborough Tea Party and instantly had some new friends.

Anyway, here’s my take (on the front page of my site) including original pics.

Thanks!

AUSTIN BAY: An opportunity in Libya.

JERRY POURNELLE’S NEW KINDLE EDITION OF A STEP FARTHER OUT is still doing quite well. I’m glad to see that. He’s currently #1 in Economics/Development and Growth — and #1 in Policy and Current Events.

NO HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE HERE: “Our students are not leaving in debt and can transfer anywhere.”

AN ANTI-TERRY-JONES RIOT that no one seems to be covering.

ANDY KESSLER: Make way for the virtual exchange. “Technology has rendered the stock exchange as we know it obsolete. Trades take place in milliseconds on servers in the great data cloud in the sky.” Is that good?

NEWS FROM the reality-based community.

AT AMAZON, a Mother’s Day Kindle special.

PJTV: I talk to the NRA’s Wayne LaPierre about the state of the Second Amendment, the 2012 elections, and the importance of alternative media.

CHANGE: 2,500 turn out for Tuscon Tea Party.

DAN MITCHELL: Obama’s Medicare Appointee Has Accidental Encounter with Reality, Learns Nothing.

TODD ZYWICKI: “Cut and run” marketing strategy not an overwhelming success for King & Spalding.

PETER WEHNER: How the Smartest President Ever Becomes a One-Term President.

MORE ON THE GAS TAX, and a latte tax alternative.

THREATENING REPORTERS: The White House has a “pants on fire” moment.

Plus, from the comments: “At least they didn’t lock her in a closet.”

TUSCALOOSA: Before And After The Storm. Appalling photos.

ROGER KIMBALL: The Way We Live Now. Until we grow tired enough of it to do something about it.

MUSIC PRICE COMPETITION: The 69-cent song store.

More here.

IN THE MAIL: From Steven Pressfield, Do the Work. That’s the hardcopy version. I already got the free Kindle version.

AL NEUHARTH: Obama’s Space Goodbye Mocks JFK’s Hello. Actually I think Obama’s private-sector approach is much superior, even though I doubt he’s pursuing it because he particularly cares about space. But I’d rather have the right policy for the wrong reason than the other way around.

THE INSTITUTE FOR JUSTICE wins one in California.

MEN’S DOCKERS SHIRTS, for $14.99.

LARRY KOTLIKOFF AND ANDY WEISS look at tax plans for left and right. “Our country is saving nothing, investing nothing, growing more unequal, going broke and pulling apart. The current tax system makes these problems much worse. Our plan, called the Purple Tax Plan (www.thepurpletaxplan.org), provides a simple and transparent tax system with much better incentives to work and save, much greater revenue-generating capacity, and much greater equity. Best of all, both parties can call the plan their own.”

THOUSANDS OF SYRIANS protest military crackdown. “Tens of thousands of Syrians poured out of mosques and into the streets after Friday prayers for what appeared to be the biggest demonstrations yet in the country. The large turnout, after days of deadly clashes, suggests that the will of the protesters remains unbroken despite the government’s stepped-up efforts to crush the uprising.”

IT’S SHOWTIME for antimatter hunters.

DUDE, WHERE’S MY RECOVERY? “Seven quarters into the Obama recovery, GDP growth has averaged an annual rate of only 2.8 percent. In contrast, since 1970, the first seven quarters of previous recoveries averaged 4.6 percent. The poor growth rate is especially surprising since the preceding recession was so severe, there should have been ample room for high growth as the unemployed returned to work. For example, the Reagan recovery followed a similarly high unemployment rate and saw the economy grow at an average annual growth rate of 7 percent . . . . The slight decrease in unemployment – currently at 8.8 percent — has been touted as good news. Yet that slight drop has largely been the result of job-seekers giving up looking for work and leaving the labor force. On top of that, the new jobs that have opened up have primarily been temporary jobs, the number of permanent jobs has actually fallen.”

TEN STATES WHERE PENSIONS ARE RUNNING OUT OF MONEY.

NEGOTIATIONS: Vindicating Israel.

YOU’RE NOT AS KINKY AS YOU THINK: Massive Internet study finds that we’re all sexual deviants. Well, an Internet study . . . .

WHAT AMERICA NEEDS: Price Controls for Limo Rides.

FBI RAIDS ACTOR’S APARTMENT for suspicion of uploading a movie.

RUBEN NAVARETTE: Six Reasons Why Latinos May Stay Home On Election Day.

Related: Mickey Kaus: Let’s Play Pretend:

Rosario Dawson, Eva Longoria and other “stakeholders“ “influential Hispanics” were at the White House yesterday ”in another behind-the-scenes effort to enlist support and build momentum” for President Obama’s “vision of immigration reform,” according to Jake Tapper. Unless Obama knows something I don’t know about Republicans in Congress, these meetings have a near-pathological air of unreality about them, as if they were taking place in an alternative universe in which the 2010 election didn’t happen.

That seems to be the case on a lot of fronts.

PERHAPS WE SHOULD CALL HIM “HINDMOST,” as the Pierson’s Puppeteers do: The Obama Doctrine: Leading From Behind?

UPDATE: Great minds think alike.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Jason Young writes: “How about some Obama 2012: Leading from Behind bumper stickers? Could be mock-worthy.” Fire up the Zazzle shops!

TED LAPKIN: Morally Depraved UN Has No Right To Preach.

Thuggish despot who slaughters peaceful protesters in the streets, or global guardian of human rights? The United Nations can’t seem to make up its mind where Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is concerned.

This week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was expressing “grave concern” over Assad’s decision to set loose his tanks on unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators. But Ban then declined to intervene in the coming elections at the UN Human Rights Council, where Syria is a shoo-in for a new three-year term.

Scheduled for mid-May, these elections have about as much suspense as polling day in … well … Damascus. As one of the four candidate nations vying for the four open slots allocated to the Asia group, Syria’s election to the council is all but assured.

Given its own dubious record, you’d think the council might hesitate before setting itself up as a moral arbiter.

And yet, it does not.

HOW’S THAT HOPEY-CHANGEY STUFF WORKIN’ OUT FOR YA? Dem hopeful in ’08: I don’t like paying $4 a gallon so I support Obama. Well, there’s always $5 a gallon gas . . . .

PAUL RYAN 1, astroturf heckler 0.

PROF. JACOBSON: A MAP THAT IS bad news for King & Spalding.

PITTSBURGH:

I PREFER THE BACON KIND, but now there’s Cupcake Flavored Vodka.

FAST-FOOD BURGERS that won’t blow your diet. I’ve always felt the Whopper Jr. was underrated.

AT AMAZON, Up to 74% off on car electronics.

CHANGE: China Reduces Holdings Of U.S. Debt.

CARBON NANOTUBES ENABLE next-generation consumer electronics.

MICHAEL WALSH: “Change” Via Executive Power Grab.

I’M WITH PJTV AT THE NRA CONVENTION, and finding lots of interesting stuff to report on.

DOWN WITH CORPORATE AMERICA! And we’ll be right back after these words.

PRIMING THE BODY TO TACKLE CANCER: Immune therapy proves effective against melanoma in an early trial. Faster, please!

MARKDOWNS ON fire-resistant home safes.

BAD TIMING: I’m at the NRA Convention, and I saw Wayne LaPierre just before I read this story on how he’s going to call for Eric Holder’s resignation. If I’d seen the story first, I would have asked him about it.

KEEPING THE HIGHER-EDUCATION BUBBLE INFLATED: Mom Hates Boyfriend Because He Has No College Degree.

NOBODY TOLD THEM GREEN MEANT UGLY: New Jerseyites Hate New Solar Panels, Brand Them “Hideous,” “Eyesores.”

OH, GOODY: Omega 3 Fatty Acids Increase Prostate Cancer Risk? “Analyzing data from a nationwide study involving more than 3,400 men, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found that men with the highest blood percentages of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, an inflammation-lowering omega-3 fatty acid commonly found in fatty fish, have two-and-a-half-times the risk of developing aggressive, high-grade prostate cancer compared to men with the lowest DHA levels. Conversely, the study also found that men with the highest blood ratios of trans-fatty acids – which are linked to inflammation and heart disease and abundant in processed foods that contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils – had a 50 percent reduction in the risk of high-grade prostate cancer.” People have often suggested that there’s a heart attack / cancer tradeoff. Perhaps there really is?

“HOW GETTING DIVORCED revived my sex life.”

UPDATE: Reader Marko Bukvic writes: “Should be titled ‘HOW FORGETTING THAT SEX WAS IMPORTANT RUINED MY MARRIAGE’ but that wouldn’t get her published on Salon.”

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: “The Mt. Hood Community College faculty association offered a sharp response Tuesday to MHCC’s plan to hire permanent replacements should union members decide to strike. On Tuesday, MHCC’s board announced it was prepared to hire full-time replacement faculty if union members walked out and administrators are reviewing applications.”

UPDATE: A reader emails:

As an adjunct instructor teaching kids to write–which I enjoy doing and do well, I think–I think the real part of the h.e. bubble that needs attention is the monstrous growth in administrators who have their own agendas that have little to do with student learning. I know you have mentioned that, but it’s worth repeating.

An example: there is some kind of student-tutoring center at my unnamed school which is run by an administrator that matches student tutors with students who need help with their writing. I went down there
a couple of years ago, innocently, and tried to talk with the student who is “tutoring” my students…so I could give that kid some advice about what I wanted attended to in tutoring sessions. I was received with puzzlement. The attitude seemed to be “why would a teacher want to have anything to do with the tutoring we offer.” This is a sample of one–but the sense was weird.

“We’re helping the kids–what does that have to do with you?”

Fulltime faculty like those in Maine who want more money strike me as not the real problem.

The Goldwater Institute found administrative bloat was the biggest driver in higher education cost increases.
And that’s Oregon, not Maine, but yeah.

IN THE MAIL: From Jody Lynn Nye, The View from the Imperium.

POLIWOOD: Atlas get Shrugged off: What we can learn.

OBAMA PUNISHING REPORTERS: History Rhymes At The San Francisco Chronicle.

Plus, “They told me if I voted for McCain, we would soon see the government quash new media reporting to control the message…and they were right!”

GREEN SERVER FARMS? Move Server Farms to Desert? Data Is Easier to Move Than Power, After All. Hmm.

DUNCAN KENNEDY IS READY FOR HIS CLOSEUP: Rush Limbaugh discovers the Critical Legal Studies movement.

RETHINKING rethinking the gas tax. No, that’s not a typo.

AT AMAZON, it’s the Friday Sale.

PJTV: Bill Whittle interviews me about politics, journalism, and the rise of the new media. (YouTube, so no subscription required.)

MICHAEL BARONE: What Would Machiavelli Do?

WSJ: Officials Unfazed by Dollar Slide. “The U.S. dollar fell Thursday to its lowest point since the summer of 2008, but officials aren’t showing signs that they are alarmed by the currency’s descent or acting to stem it. . . . The Fed’s decision, coming as many central banks start to raise rates, prompted many investors to shed dollar-denominated holdings. Many investors worry the Fed’s easy-money policies—in which it also is pumping dollars into the financial system to keep interest rates low—are pushing down the value of the currency by adding to its supply, stoking inflationary pressures.”

FORGET THE WARS OR THE ECONOMY: You can now get an iPhone in white!

REAGAN VS. OBAMA: A TALE OF TWO RECOVERIES.

WELL, THAT SHOULD COST A COUPLE OF POINTS IN THE POLLS: Sen. Kerry applauds Obama’s national security picks.

HMM: Rifts in Iran’s Leadership. Plus: Secret Meetings with Obama Admin?

STANFORD FACULTY SENATE votes to bring back ROTC.

TRANSPARENCY: Issa Demands Justice Dept. Answer Project Gunrunner Subpoenas.

JIM TREACHER: Wait — there was a royal wedding? Why wasn’t I told?

VIOLENT RHETORIC IN THE NEW YORK TIMES: Rep. Allen West “in the Democratic crosshairs.”

BLOWBACK: Virginia AG cancels King & Spalding work for state after “obsequious act of weakness” in DOMA case. “Virginia does not shy away from hiring outside counsel because they may have ongoing professional relationships with people or entities, or on behalf of causes that I, or my office, or Virginia as a whole may not support. But it is crucial for us to be able to trust and rely on the fact that our outside counsel will not desert Virginia due to pressure by an outside group or groups.”

CHANGE: Walmart Brings Guns Back: “Wal-Mart said Thursday that it is bringing guns back to many of its U.S. stores in an effort to lift slumping sales. In 2006, Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500), the world’s largest retailer stopped selling guns in the majority of its stores, blaming slow demand for those types of firearms.” Nowadays, guns and ammo are regarded as good investments.

CHANGE: Euro zone inflation up, economic sentiment weakens.

ANTI-SHINGLES AGENT DISCOVERED: “U.S. researchers say they discovered a compound that may be more effective than existing agents in treating the very painful blisters involved with shingles.”

THE HILL: Pessimism On Economy Puts A Crimp On Obama’s Campaign. “Since January, the number of Democrats who disapprove of Obama’s handling of the economy has grown 12 percent to 27 percent, while the percentage of independents casting doubts has grown from 50 percent in January to 63 percent, the poll found.”

THAT’S FAST: A star spinning at 1 million mph.

CHANGE: More Democrats Threaten To Vote Against Raising Debt Ceiling. “A growing number of Democrats are threatening to defy the White House over the national debt, joining Republican calls for deficit cuts as a requirement for consenting to lift the country’s borrowing limit. The tension is the latest illustration of how the tea-party-infused GOP is driving the debate in Washington over federal spending. And it shows how the debt issue is testing the Obama administration’s clout as Democrats, particularly those from politically competitive states, resist White House arguments against setting conditions on legislation to raise the debt ceiling.”

Related: America’s Fiscal High Noon.

THE POST-IT CAMPAIGN GETS MOMENTUM: 10 Rules For Liberty Guerrillas.

DUDE, WHERE’S MY RECOVERY? Most Americans say U.S. in recession despite data: poll. “The April 20-23 Gallup survey of 1,013 U.S. adults found that only 27 percent said the economy is growing. Twenty-nine percent said the economy is in a depression and 26 percent said it is in a recession, with another 16 percent saying it is ‘slowing down,’ Gallup said.”

NONE DARE CALL IT Stagflation. “It’s as if we have taken a long round-trip back to 1979.” Ha. In your dreams, buddy. It’s much worse than that.

Related: Crappy Days Are Here Again. Also, The 44th President and his Multiple Catch-22s.

Plus: Walmart CEO: Our Consumers Are Running Out Of Money. “Wal-Mart’s core shoppers are running out of money much faster than a year ago due to rising gasoline prices, and the retail giant is worried, CEO Mike Duke said Wednesday.”

Yeah, I’m hearing that too.

IS YOUR BRAIN SLEEPING while you’re awake? If so, you may be a member of Congress!

FUN WITH MULTIDIMENSIONAL STORYTELLING: Wasn’t there a Star Trek episode about that?

DAVID HARSANYI: Why did Superman really renounce his citizenship? “Just a theory. Like Donald Trump or Andrew Sullivan, I’m simply asking questions, not making accusations.”

SHUT UP, THEY EXPLAINED: Obama Administration Bans Reporter for Using Camera to Record Anti-Obama Protesters. More here.

THE REASON WHY “THERE ARE NO MORE ARBITERS OF TRUTH” is that the old ones were liars. Until you can get past that problem, you’ll have to deal with conspiracy theories. And really, after Dan Rather, I don’t see how anyone can complain about Internet innuendo.