John McCain: Maverick or Redneck? The Republicans are not quite sure.

By Pablo Fanque,
All This Is That National Affairs Editor


At a town hall meeting yesterday in Sparks, Nevada, Republican presidential candidate John McCain attempted to maintain the precarious equilibrium between the independence he boasts of and his purported conservatism. Was the audience buying it? Not so much.

"As many of you know, I've been called a maverick, someone who marches to the beat of his own drum," McCain said proudly before being assaulted with questions on offshore oil, taxes and stem cell research from a mostly Republican audience.

McCain swore he would not raise taxes if elected president and promised to appoint judges like Bush nominees Samuel Alito and John Roberts.

"Anything you can tax he wants to tax it more," McCain said of his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama.

But McCain then told a disabled woman facing home foreclosure that he would step up enforcement of the Americans With Disabilities Act. He told a cancer survivor that he supported stem cell research, which pushed a local, Doug Englekirk, to tell McCain that he and other conservatives weren't happy to be supporting the Arizona senator. "There's a lot of us voting against Obama more than anything else," Englekirk said to McCain. "There are a lot of issues I've disagreed with you about, and I would like to know how do you assure me and other conservatives that you will hold to our values and give me something to be excited about?"
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National Enquirer new claim: Rielle Hunter is receiving $15,000 a month hush money/child support from John Edwards' pal

John Edwards with his "other" family?

In an "exclusive," [ed's note: of course anything fictional would be exclusive] the NATIONAL ENQUIRER claims that John Edwards’ purported girfriend and mother of his “love child,” Rielle Hunter, is secretly receiv­ing $15,000 a month "as part of an elaborate cover-up orchestrated by the former presidential contender."



The money is purportedly funneled to Rielle Hunter by a wealthy colleague who was involved in the Edwards’ campaign. "This same man is also shoveling cash to Edwards’ pal and former aide Andrew Young – who tried to take the heat off the ex-Senator by claiming he is the father of Rielle’s baby."
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Music, video and lyrics: Ben Lee's Catch My Disease (a/k/a The TBTL Theme song)

This is my favorite song this week.







This is a fan video of a TV show called House (I think) set to Catch My Disease. The link may not have long to live. No other version on YouTube would allow you to embed, and virtually all fan versions were pulled, (in short, Ben has some vigilant people combing the internets for copyrightviolations).

Not only is this a wonderful song, it's the theme song for my favorite radio show, TBTL, which you really need to hear (live in Seattle, on iTunes, and KIRO always has one week of downloadable shows).

My head is a box full of nothing
and that's the way I like it
My garden's a secret compartment
and that's the way I like it
and that's the way I like it
Your body's a dream that turns violent
and that's the way I like it
and that's the way I like it
The winter is long in the city
and that's the way I like it

So please
baby please
Open your heart
Catch my disease

I was backstage in Pomona
and that's the way I like it
She drank beer with coca-cola
and that's the way I like it
and that's the way I like it
She told me about the winds from Santa Anna
and that's the way I like it
and that's the way I like it
She told me she loved me like fireworks
and that's the way I like it

So please
baby please
Open your eyes
Catch my disease

So please (PLEASE!)
baby please
Come on
Catch my disease
Catch it

Na na na na na na na na na

They play Good Charlotte on the radio
and that's the way I like it
They play Sleepy Jackson on the radio
and that's the way I like it
and that's the way I like it
I hear Beyonce on the radio
and that's the way I like it
cos that's the way I like it
and they play me on the radio (whoo!)
and that's the way I like it

So please
baby please
Open your heart
and catch my disease
So please
baby please
Come on
Catch my disease
(catch my disease)
nanananananananana
(catch my disease)
nanananananananana
(catch my disease)
nanananananananana
(catch my disease)
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Aphrodite sculpture from the National Archaeological Museum in Athens

click to enlarge

This marble statue of Aphrodite, now residing in the National Museum of Archaeology, was in private hands until about 1924. It was sculpted in the second century, and was later restored by the Italian sculptor A. Canova in the early 19th century. I like nude sculptures, but in this one, aside from the toothsome Aphrodite herself, it is the drapery, discretely covering the naughty bits, that knocks you out...

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Boo-hoo: Senator Ted Stevens is headed for the hoosegow

click Senator Ted Stevens to enlarge

By Pablo Fanque,
All This Is That National Affairs Editor

U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (Republican, Alaska) was charged Tuesday with hiding more than a quarter million dollars in "gifts," including home renovations, that he received from an Alaska oil company, the Justice Department said. That only includes the hiding, friendos, not the taking and soliciting.


The Alaska politician, who has been in the Senate longer than almost any other Senator (40 years) was indicted by a grand jury indictment on seven counts of lying on Senate financial disclosure forms. Not surprisingly, he is also one of the biggest scolds in Congress. He joins fellow Republicans like Senator Larry Craig who was busted for atempting to have sex in an airport bathroom; David Vitter who cheated on his wife with prostitutes while haranguing us about "family values;" and even disgraced ex-Governor Elliott Spitzer, who also had a yen for prostitutes, while publicly campaigning to shut down "call girl rings."



Soon to be Ex-Senator Stevens denied the charges, of course, and swore he would be exonerated. But he had to step down from his various committees in the Senate. He has thus far, given no indication he plans to resign from the Senate."I am innocent of these charges and intend to prove that," Stevens said in a statement. "I have never knowingly submitted a false disclosure form required by law as a U.S. senator."

There was no immediate signal that Republicans would pressure Stevens to resign, but give it a few days. On the other hand, the Senator may well continue with his re-election campaign. I suspect the Senator would want us to believe that he, along with us, are victims of the deviancy amplification spiral.
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Photo: The Brummet-Curran clan dine al fresco at sunset with a view of the Santorini caldera

Click to enlarge

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Obama's VP-stakes--> Come on Barack! Go with Smilin' Joe

While the campaign and Barack himself have been very circumspect about his choice for running mate, they have floated at least the following names:

• Virginia Governor Tim Kaine
• Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius
• Indiana Senator Evan Bayh (an olive branch to Hillary supporters)
• Senator Joe Biden (my personal favorite)
• Georgia Ex-Senator Sam Nunn

Pick Smilin' Joe, Barack! He's got the foreign policy experience you need, and he's great on the campaign trail. He never gets tired of talking!
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Photo: Aphrodite's legs, from the museum at Afrodesia, Turkey

click to enlarge

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Painting: Colum, Claire and Del on the beach in Naxos, Greece

click to enlarge

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The John Edwards-Rielle Hunter "love child" story bubbles along with no new facts or information

These political scandal stories sometimes leave you wanting more...or at least quick resolution. More in this case means to either excoriate The National Enquirer for irresponsible mud-slinging, or, alas, to write off John Edwards politically, for good.

When the "story" first broke late last year, people wrote off Edwards's presidential campaign. But, then, the story faded away rapidly. Now, with the National Enquirer alleging to have caught him red-handed with the mother of the purported love child, Rielle Hunter, at an LA hotel, the story exploded into national news once again, with the conservative press, talk shows, and republican bloggers fanning the flames. But. once again, the National Enquirer seems to be hanging fire, and have printed or said nothing new since their bombshell late last week.

There has been some follow up, like this piece on foxnews.com, "A Beverly Hills hotel security guard told FOXNews.com he intervened this week between a man he identified as former Sen. John Edwards and tabloid reporters who chased down the former presidential hopeful after what they're calling a rendezvous with his mistress and love child.


"It's not my baby." "It's not his baby."

"The Beverly Hilton Hotel guard said he encountered a shaken and ashen-faced Edwards — whom he did not immediately recognize — in a hotel men's room early Tuesday morning in a literal tug-of-war with reporters on the other side of the door."

Numerous news outlets have reiterated that good Edwards friend, and former Clinton Administration cabinet member, Andrew Young claims paternity of the alleged Edwards and Rielle Hunter love child. However a lot of people don't seem to believe that story....

Google News lists about 68 stories on this one (but incredibly not All This Is That's editorial piece). For Rielle Hunter's part, she maintains, as does Young himself, that Andrew Young is the father of the child.
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Alien Lore No. 135 - More on Edgar Mitchell's alien revelations - an interview with Moonwalker Dr Edgar Mitchell

Following up on our earlier article here (Alien Lore No. 134), here are some more of Dr. Edgar Mithchell's revelations from an interview.

Astronaut and Apollo 14 moon-walker Dr Edgar Mitchell claims that aliens exist. He says extra-terrestrials have visited Earth on several occasions - but the alien contact has been repeatedly and systematically covered up by The Government for six decades. Dr Mitchell, 77, said on the radio that sources at the space agency described the beings as basically textbook greys.

He also claimed our technology is "not nearly as sophisticated" as theirs. In itself that's not so shocking if you believe his story. Greys merely appearing on earth would indicate a civilization exponentially more advanced than ours, where our greatest success so far is to have a dozen people walk on the earth's nearest satellite, the moon. . .about 239,000 miles away.

The good part? "Had they been hostile," he warned, "we would be gone by now". Like Virgil Solozzo said to Tom Hagen in The Godfather. "If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead already .'


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Bronze statuary group by the beach in Rhodes

click to enlarge The last thing we saw in Rhodes.

This bronze statuary group sat near the beach in Rhodes, fifty feet from where we caught a bus to the port, to sail to the wonderful madhouse that is Santorini/Thira. I have no idea what the subject matter is, or the provenance of the sculpture. . .but I liked it. Then again, I am a sucker for bronzes...

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Poem: σχετικότητας (Relativity)

Πριν από μία εβδομάδα,
ήμουν ευτυχής να εγκαταλείψει την Ελλάδα.
Σήμερα, είμαι ευτυχής που προτίθεστε να είναι πίσω.
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Does the paternity of Rielle Hunter's baby determine our next Attorney General?

Rielle Hunter

Well, even the National Enquirer is right sometimes, although I hope not in this case. I have been looking forward to John Edwards as Attorney General. If he has been caught with his pants down like this, I suspect we'll know the truth in a couple of days. If this affair and baby are true, how long did he really think he could pull the wool over our eyes? I dunno...he's just seems too smart to be this stupid.
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The Stadium and other goodies at Aphrodesias/Afrodesia, Turkey

Afrodite in all her glory, but minus her cabeza,
in the museum at Afrodesia - click to enlarge


Del runs out from the gladiator's entrance to the stadium - click to enlarge


another section of seats - click to enlarge

Aphrodisias, a/k/a Ἀφροδισιάς a/k/a Afrodesia, is in Asia Minor, about 230 km from İzmir.

Aphrodisias was named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of Love (and if you've seen her sculptures, you'd believe it), and at this site there once existed her cult image, Aphrodite of Aphrodisias. The city was built near a marble deposit that that was heavily quarried during the Roman period, and the marble sculptors from Aphrodisias became famous in Rome. See Keelin Curran's post about Turkey in Ruins for more information and Afrodesia photos.


A long shot of the stadium - click to enlarge

The Temple of Aphrodite is a focus of the ruins, and restoration is ongoing. However, what really knocked me out most about Aphrodesias was the stadium. But so did the temple, the statuary, the fantastic relief friezes, The absolutely amazing Bouleuterion (Council House) is on the north side of the North Agora, and is fantastically reconstructed, and on a more human scale. But it was the stadium that enchanted us most--partly because it was used for gladiatorial and wild beast exhibitions (e.g., slaughters), but mostly because of the grand scale. You could feel those 30,000 citizens filling the marble seats.

Can you imagine charging out here to fight your fellow

gladiator with a trident? Click to enlarge


another long shot of the stadium - click to enlarge

The stadium is thought to be the best preserved of its kind except for the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi (which we didn't get to see...yes, we did miss a few ruins!). I would love to see a rock show there one day.

A section of seats at the top of the stadium - click to enlarge

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