There's a little encouraging news from the State Department's ongoing security investigation: Employees aren't trying to look at your passport... unless you're Beyonce. Or John McCain. Or the late Anna Nicole Smith.
The department ordered a probe after word leaked in March that files for the three presidential candidates still in the race had been improperly pulled from the Passport Information Electronic Records System, to which about 20,000 people have access. A new test showed that out of 150 celebrity names (chosen from Google's most searched-for-list and Sports Illustrated), 127 of them had been accessed recently. Knowles' documents were peeked at more than 100 times.
It's probably for the best that B seems to be staying in the country right now; she's set to film a thriller called "Obsessed" with Idris Elba and Ali Larter in LA and she is reportedly in talks to join the cast of "Desperate Housewives."
So that's what Midwest Airlines is doing with those extra planes! Senator Barack Obama was flying to Charlotte, North Carolina when his chartered MD-80 diverted to St. Louis.
Turns out the safety slide in tail of the aircraft deployed in flight and gave pilots some trouble steering. (Guess someone forgot to cross-check!) The plane landed at Lambert International without further incident.
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee took the in-air drama in stride:
Anytime a pilot says that something's not working the way its supposed to, then, you know, you make sure you tighten your seat belt. Everything seemed under control, the pilots knew what they were doing.
With plenty of hip museums in and around LA, the Museum of the American West in Griffith Park is not usually high on the itinerary. Essentially a shrine to cowboy culture, the museum's drab permanent exhibits are far less interesting than the aging Will Rogers wannabes who show up dressed in full Western gear, right down to the boots and spurs.
But this year's election-themed special exhibit is worth a trip for both Wild West lovers and political junkies. The exhibit traces how the cowboy image has shaped US electoral politics, from Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders to George W. Bush and his brush clearing in Crawford. Visitors are left with the realization that you can't get to the White House without having at least a little John Wayne in you--hence Cowboy Obama, above).
Cowboys and Presidents is on display at the Museum of the American West through September 7, before heading off on a national tour.
We chuckled when the site Barack Obama Is Your New Bicycle poked fun at the Democratic senator's ascribed powers. But fashionistas found the presumptive presidential candidate's choice of attire for riding a bike this weekend downright bizarre. What? No one wants to see a politician in bike shorts.
To avoid the scorn of the beautiful people, make sure you have the correct gear for your next two-wheeled trek. We liked this basic but thorough list from RideThisBike.com.
In Uganda, there's now an Obama Boulevard, in Kenya, pub crawlers drink "Obama beer" and in Nigeria, rebels began negotiating a ceasefire with the government after a personal appeal from, who else, Barack Obama. Reuters says it's all part of "Obama-mania" that's sweeping Africa.
Presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain has been stumping around America, and lately he's been slamming Barack Obama for his position on Cuba. (You'll remember that the Illinois senator wants to ease travel restrictions to the island.)
Hoping to set the record straight, Obama delivered a speech today to the Cuban American National Foundation:
Every four years, [politicians] come down to Miami, they talk tough, they go back to Washington and nothing changes in Cuba. That's what John McCain did the other day.
Obama then laid out his plan for dealing with the island, which isn't exactly what those of us who'd like to visit legally were hoping to hear:
I will immediately allow unlimited family travel and remittances to the island ... [but] I will maintain the embargo.
Sounds like we'll be keeping our golf clubs in storage no matter who wins in November.
So, Obama is Virgin America because his thing is change--but he doesn't have a lot of experience. That makes Clinton--an established player recovering from the slings and arrows of just a few years ago--United.
No wait, he's Skybus and she's Aloha because they're both stumbling right now. OK, fine, we're out of terrible metaphors for the Democratic presidential primary.
Whatever airline suits 'em best, the candidates are off to Indiana for the May 6 primary, so when in Indianapolis, hide out here:
Paradise Bakery and Cafe :: Indulge your wandering eyes--wandering over the double fudge brownies and 24 carrot cake, that is. 9510 N. Meridian St.
Maybe it was the fear of repeating John Kerry's "with Swiss" gaffe or maybe he just wanted to avoid an immigration debate at Geno's, but Barack Obama skipped the cheesesteak on his recent visit to Philadelphia's Italian Market. The democratic front-runner instead sampled some grub from Claudio Specialty Foods and DiBruno Brothers.
Hillary Clinton hasn't done much better, as she's also skipped the steaks in Pennsylvania. Back in October, Rudy Giuliani had no problem ordering his sandwich in English when he was part of the Republican race.
The candidates will be scrounging for votes for another couple weeks, so there's plenty of time to track down a good sandwich. Our Philly Cheesesteaks Map will point you in the right direction, Barack!
0 Comments - Add Yours
by egw
