Goldfrapp - “A & E”

An offbeat video for their new album. They seem to enjoy lyrics that really contrast their tunes. Here’s their Wiki page and (pretty cool) website.

MENTAL HEALTH INJURIES SCAR 300,000 TROOPS

WHO’S THE MORAL RELATIVIST?

ACLU SUES PENTAGON FOR GUANTANAMO DEATH RECORDS

ABC DECIDES, ISSUES: NOT IMPORTANT. FLAG PINS: IMPORTANT

MCCAIN SHOWS US HOW TO KILL AN ARMY

TORTURERS IN THE WHITE HOUSE: WHY IS THIS STORY BEING IGNORED?

POPE: IRAQ WAR HAS NO MORAL JUSTIFICATION

SEVEN YEARS OF FAILURE: BUSH GETS AN F FOR THE EARTH

RESURRECTING GREENSPAN

COMCAST: WORST. COMPANY. EVER.

AFGHANISTAN’S VIETNAM PORTENT

MCCAIN’S ECONOMIC REMEDY: DOUBLE DOSE OF THE SAME

SCIENTOLOGY‘S FIRST CELEBRITY DEFECTOR SPEAKS OUT

AHMADINEJAD: IRAN MOST POWERFUL MILITARY POWER ON EARTH

SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS 51 IN IRAQ

BROWN MEETS WITH U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

DOZENS KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN SUICIDE BOMB ATTACK

REUTERS CAMERAMAN KILLED IN GAZA

NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED RISES RISES RISES

CONGRESS TACKLES CREDIT CARD REFORM

Via Balloon-Juice: “In memory of George”

Citizen Carrie at Brilliant at Breakfast has an extensive post on H-1B visas called “The Never-Ending Post, or, Government and Business Leaders Work 24/7 To Keep Americans Away From High Tech Jobs.” Here’s a sample:

As reported earlier, Microsoft’s Bill Gates testified in front of Congress on March 12, 2008 by reading off his list of demands for the high tech industry. The crux of his speech is that he claims that we are not graduating enough students with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills, and businesses are forced to hire workers from overseas to fill all of the job openings. (And, oh, by the way, the tech industry can pay these foreign workers less money.)

Read more »

Perhaps the most ridiculous question at the gossipfest debate last night. Stehphanopoulos got this question from none other than Sean Hannity. More at Think Progress. Full transcript of the non-debate here. Want to complain? Main ABC switchboard: 212-456-7777. Or, you can complain here.

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator, if you get the nomination, you’ll have to — (applause) — (inaudible).

I want to give Senator Clinton a chance to respond, but first a follow-up on this issue, the general theme of patriotism in your relationships. A gentleman named William Ayers, he was part of the Weather Underground in the 1970s. They bombed the Pentagon, the Capitol and other buildings. He’s never apologized for that. And in fact, on 9/11 he was quoted in The New York Times saying, “I don’t regret setting bombs; I feel we didn’t do enough.”

An early organizing meeting for your state senate campaign was held at his house, and your campaign has said you are friendly. Can you explain that relationship for the voters, and explain to Democrats why it won’t be a problem?

SEN. OBAMA: George, but this is an example of what I’m talking about.

This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who’s a professor of English in Chicago, who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He’s not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.

And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values, doesn’t make much sense, George.

In need of more military-related outrage?

Sole surviving son denied health benefits post-Iraq

FRESNO, Calif. - Forced to leave the combat zone after his two brothers died in the Iraq war, Army Spc. Jason Hubbard faced another battle once he returned home: The military cut off his family’s health care, stopped his G.I. educational subsidies and wanted him to repay his sign-up bonus.

It wasn’t until Hubbard petitioned his local congressman that he was able to restore some of his benefits.

“I felt as if in some ways I was being punished for leaving even though it was under these difficult circumstances,” Hubbard told The Associated Press. “The situation that happened to me is not a one-time thing. It’s going to happen to other people, and to have a law in place is going to ease their tragedy in some way.”

Most likely. With the democratic challengers fighting each other and all the back-biting going on throughout the entire party, the top GOP candidate is smelling rosier by the day:

Republicans are no longer underdogs in the race for the White House. To pull that off, John McCain has attracted disgruntled GOP voters, independents and even some moderate Democrats who shunned his party last fall.

Partly thanks to an increasingly likable image, the Republican presidential candidate has pulled even with the two Democrats still brawling for their party’s nomination, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo news poll released Thursday. Just five months ago - before either party had winnowed its field - the survey showed people preferred sending an unnamed Democrat over a Republican to the White House by 13 percentage points.