Friends report seeing David Miliband here at the very wet Hay Festival. He was spotted in the audience for Gene Robinson, the openly-Christian American bishop, and for ex-President Jimmy Carter, at 83, twice his age, who apparently told him he was too young to be foreign secretary. Thanks Jimmy.
Too young or not, these are not the actions of a man plotting to become prime minister any time soon. They are more like the actions of a man desperately trying to sustain a relatively normal life despite all the pressures of the day job and a young family. I think we can all understand that.
Yet, as we drove west along the A40 I read in the Sunday papers - and again in today’s - that he is preparing to run, being urged to run, etc etc. Don’t believe it. Miliband is anxious for his family and shows little desire to become leader of the opposition for what could prove to be quite a long stretch.
So where does that leave Labour? Roughly where it was before the recent series of misfortunes, some of them bad luck, others self-generated. When Tony Blair was still prime minister and being harried by some of those who now want to slay Gordon Brown, I used to say - and write - “Gordon is Labour’s destiny, for better or worse. We’ll only know how good he is at the job when he gets to do it.”
OK. Not too good so far. But Labour ministers who are telling the Guardian today that they must rally round, dig in and fight back over the next two years to June 2010 are stating the painfully obvious.
It’s their only option, probably always was, certainly was after GB dithered over the October election he should not have considered calling: there was no justification beyond narrow self-interest and he’d probably have only won by a whisker (if he was lucky). We’ll see what happens in 2010, even if we think we already know by now.

blogs.guardian.co.uk

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 – Julianne Hough sees if her success on Dancing With the Stars can rub off on her music career as she releases her debut today. Other new albums come from bluegrass singer James King and Texas artist Cory Morrow.
Hough enjoyed much success on Dancing With the Stars, winning the competition twice with speed skater Anton Apolo Ohno and race car driver Helio Castroneves. The first single from the Utah native is “That Tune In My Head.” David Malloy, who has worked with Reba McEntire, produced the disc.
Bluegrass singer James King is not taking it easy these days. His supergroup Longview released a disc recently and now he’s out with his new solo CD, “Gardens in the Sky: The Bluegrass Gospel of James King” (Rounder). This is the first CD for King since “The Bluegrass Storyteller” from 2005.
Cory Morrow is out with “Vagrants & Kings” (Sustain) today as well. The Texas singer offers 10 songs. The first single is “He Carries Me,” the lead-off track.
I didn't watch the Academy of Country Music Awards Sunday night from Las Vegas, but I do have some reaction on the winners.Kenny Chesney won his fourth consecutive Entertainer of the Year, but he complained that the fans, not academy members, picked the winner. Hey, Kenny - chill out. It's like the New York Giants complaining that they won the Super Bowl with too much passing from MVP Eli Manning and not enough of a contribution
It always seemed like Hootie and The Blowfish had a sound that closely resembled contemporary country music. That's why it's no surprise that lead singer Darius Rucker has launched a solo country music career. I heard his debut "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" on the radio and wasn't sure who the artist was. When I heard the DJ say it was Rucker, I thought 'it's great to have such a talented

countrystandardtime.com

•An item in the Model Notes column in the New Homes section on Friday had the incorrect date of a home tour of three residences at Jefferson Estates in Naperville. The tours are taking place noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 18.
•A graphic on Page 1 Friday about fuel economy overstated the cost to fully recharge a 2000 Toyota Camry that has been converted to run on electricity. The cost for a maximum electric charge would be $2.20, for cost-per-mile of 4 cents for a 55-mile range.
•In Friday’s main news section, a photo caption from the City Plan commission meeting gave an incorrect first name for Ald. Bernard Stone (50th).
•A review of the William Ferris Chorale in Tempo on Monday erroneously reported the age of the group, which was founded in 1972. Also, Garrett Johannsen’s name was misspelled.

chicagotribune.com

“He was the best player available” Says who?
“He has a lot of up-side” But not in this sport.
“He has size” Too bad he isn’t auditioning to be a security guard.
“He is a leader” The Liberals could sure use him.
“He is honest and hard working” Poor guy was blessed with no skill.
“He’s played on a winner” Back in grade one I think I played on a winning dodge ball team.
“He’s dedicated” Until he doesn’t get what he wants.
“He’s got talent” But just not for this sport.
“He’s the complete package” And Loomis was happy to deliver.
“UPS just announced they have signed a marketing agreement with the owners of Big Brown, the impressive Kentucky Derby winner. Is this really a great idea before the Preakness and Belmont? UPS generally doesn’t deliver on Saturdays.” Janice Hough
“New York Yankees fan Yvonne Hernandez killed a Boston Red Sox fan on Monday by running over him in a parking lot with her car. They’d been arguing in a bar all day. Every woman in America is giving Hillary Clinton advice on how to win this thing.” Comedian Argus Hamilton
anniversary starting on May 22. In a ceremony to
celebrate its selling, Scott Boras will reinact the selling of Barry Zito to the Giants.” Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California
“The Bengals signed Nebraska’s Maurice Purify to a two-year contract. Yeah, with all of those arrests lately, the Bengals could use some purification.” Bill Littlejohn

opinion250.com

[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]
Quick Take for Tuesday, May 6, 2008 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)
Marking its Most Competitive Finish on the Evening Since the ReturnOf “Idol” in January, ABC Tallies its Top Tuesday Numbers in 6 Weeks
“DWTS Results” is the Most-Watched Show in its 9pm Slot for the 6th StraightWeek and Stands as Tuesday’s No. 2 Program to “Idol” for the 7th Week Running
ABC’s “DWTS Results” Hits Season Highs with Viewers and Young Adults,Producing ABC’s Top Numbers in the Time Period in More Than 5 Months
Moving Up to Second in its New Time Slot in Viewers and Young Adults,”Women’s Murder Club” Grows from its Week-Earlier Premiere in the Hour
Tuesday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)
Posting its most competitive finish on the night since the return of “American Idol” in January, ABC took a strong second place to Fox on Tuesday evening in Total Viewers (12.4 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.0/8). ABC topped third-place CBS on the evening by 1.8 million viewers and by 30% in Adults 18-49 (CBS = 10.6 million and 2.3/6).
In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ABC turned in its highest Tuesday numbers in 6 weeks since 3/25/08. In addition, the Network was up from the same night last year by 1.9 million viewers and by 7% in Adults 18-49 (10.5 million and 2.8/8 on 5/8/07).
“DWTS: Judges’ All-Time Favorite Dances” (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
Up against “American Idol,” the ABC special “DWTS: Judges’ All-Time Favorite Dances” generated the Net’s best non-sports numbers in the time period since November among Total Viewers (10.5 million-tie), and since December among Adults 18-49 (2.4/7) since 11/27/07 and 12/18/07, respectively.

thefutoncritic.com

I’m doing the web strategy and online PR for Sian Berry, the Green candidate for London mayor, and I’m wondering whether you’d be interested in answering whether it’s ethical to vote for Sian to be the next mayor of London? I really look forward to your response.
Oh dear, where do I start?
Well, if I didn’t believe a) that voting in elections is a criminal manifestation of man’s arrogant desire to control ‘his’ surroundings and destiny, and b) that ‘London’ is an alien concept imposed on the south-east of ‘England’ by the plague that is the Anglo-Saxon section of humankind, and if it wasn’t for the fact that c) I live in Kent, then yes, I probably would vote for Sian Berry.
However, considering that a), b) and c) are all unquestionable facts, and so too is d) - that the Coke-drinking, turkey twizzler-scoffing, ketchup-devouring, car-driving, tabloid-buying masses are the last people on this unfortunate ball we have labelled ‘Earth’ that we should trust to choose our wise green rulers - I am afraid that I must discourage everyone from taking part in the insane traipsing to the ballot boxes in London on 1 May.
Don’t get me wrong. I like some of Ms Berry’s zesty, zingy campaigning! I have long admired, for example, her campaign against urban 4×4s. She is quite right to target those vile, big-haired, blinged-up Chelsea mums who, just because they got hitched to some thick footballer who earns £450,000 an hour, believe they have the right to stain Mother Earth’s face with their speeding carbon skidmark.
I especially liked Sian’s ‘daring protests’ (her words!) at Chelsea Football Club a couple of years ago. Remember that, David, when Sian and others dressed up as footballers’ wives, donning peroxide blonde wigs, fake fur jackets and big bug-eyed sunglasses, and adopting names like ‘Melody’ and ‘Shinaz’?! They waved placards that said ‘4×4s are minging, not blinging!’ and ‘I’d rather guzzle champagne than petrol!’ It was hilarious and inspired. Your candidate clearly has a keen eye for who are the worst pollutants in our rotten modern ‘society’: those newly moneyed, not very well-educated working classes who for some bizarre reason instantly buy big disgusting things - 4×4s, mock Tudor houses, dead-mink monstrosities - as soon as they start earning a half-decent wage.

spiked-online.com

As Sade once sang, “It’s never as good as the first time.” She sang this on her second record. I still think her first one was probably her best.
But that’s no surprise: Debuts are usually the best albums of a performer’s career. Subsequent albums may be more acclaimed, more sophisticated, or better sellers. But for most listeners, an artist’s first musical statement is usually the one that cuts the deepest, lasts the longest and means the most.
I thought of this recently while listening to an iPod playlist featuring new tracks from two different bands. Some of the songs were from veteran rock band R.E.M.’s new CD “Accelerate,” which has received critical raves in many quarters for being a return to rock ‘n’ roll form. The mix also featured songs from Vampire Weekend, a worldbeat-infused group of Ivy League rockers that recently released its debut, self-titled album.
R.E.M.’s first album, “Murmur,” remains my favorite of their releases. The first time I heard it, shortly after it came out in 1983, I had no idea what the members of the band looked like. Their faces weren’t on the cover of the album. I had never seen any advertising pushing the band, or any videos. (I had heard their 1982 EP “Chronic Town.”) So I pretty much came to the music with an open mind and open ears. The band’s sound — haunting melodies, jangling guitars, and Michael Stipe’s cryptic lyrics — quickly won me over. (Listen to a clip of “Talk About the Passion” here.)
I’ve certainly admired a number of R.E.M. albums since then — and I like the band’s current single, the rocking “Supernatural Superserious” (listen to it here) — but nothing they’ve done has hit me as hard as their debut. When something completely unexpected proves to be immensely satisfying, that’s hard to top.

online.wsj.com

This Thursday, Heathrow’s T5 will welcome its first real passengers. But how does the new building measure up? Simon Calder reveals the best travel hubs in world
Terminal: that is the outlook for the building that proved the original concept for the modern airport. The revolutionary design of The Beehive, as Gatwick’s 1936 circular terminal soon became known, provided a sleek, beautiful interface between two forms of transport – rail and air. Suddenly, northern France was an effortless couple of hours away from central London. But, in a week when Britain’s bravest and biggest air terminal opens for business, the original Gatwick airport is about to lose its aviation connection. The Beehive is being vacated by its present tenant, GB Airways, when easyJet takes over next weekend.
The tunnel to the (former) Gatwick airport station has been blocked, and to reach the runway would require a pilot to navigate past several office blocks and across the A23 dual carriageway. In the age of the cheap plane, airline passengers are no longer able to savour the calm bestowed by serene Art Deco lines. The trouble is us, the mass market. At the time this masterpiece was created, the only time the average Brit could get airborne was as crew on an RAF warplane. Today, anyone on the national minimum wage will earn enough in 12 days for an off-peak return to Australia, and short hops to Europe can cost less than the fare on the Gatwick Express train to the airport.
Last year a number equivalent to four times the UK population flew from a British airport. That is 241 million users: every second of every day, an average of eight people begin the often-grim business of going through a UK airport. Airports are people-factories, in which normal people are processed so that they can become airline passengers. You and I submit to a sequence of indignities. We surrender our possessions, hopefully only temporarily. We have our identity checked and double-checked, with fingerprinting compulsory for domestic travellers at Heathrow. And we move into a transportational limbo where shopping is the only option to sitting down and keeping quiet until the airline is good and ready to get us on board, and the air-traffic controllers permit the plane to leave.

independent.co.uk