Lunching

Whoever came up with the bright idea of having Obama and Biden do their weekly lunch at "Ray's Hell Burger" should be dismissed. Like the disastrous foray into the bowling alley during the Pennsylvania primary, Obama comes across as stiff and wooden in these settings. Grabbing a bite to eat at a joint located in a strip mall that features food high in caloric intake and low in nutrition is difficult to reconcile with a president known for being extremely particular about what he eats. Which is why Obama's question - "Have you got a spicy mustard or something like that? A Dijon mustard?" - was ridiculous.

Panic Epidemic

At this juncture, the reaction to H1N1 is vastly overblown. For some perspective, keep in mind that 30,000 people in the United States die annually from the seasonal influenza.

Biden's Loquacity

Vice president Joe Biden suffers from a condition known as diarrhea of the mouth - he often puts his mouth in motion before thinking. So it comes as no surprise that he said some pretty idiotic things about swine flu that required the White House and his staff to issue "clarifications" of what he really meant to say.

Space is the Place

Holland Cotter, in Beamed From Tomorrow, writes about an Philadelphia exhibit featuring Sun Ra, the enigmatic bandleader and pianist:

To my ears he was not only a genius composer, keyboardist and bandleader, but also constantly surprising. One minute he’s playing elevator schmaltz; then he’s making you float on air; then he’s making you deaf. I love that he was a sharp dresser, sort of kingly, sort of queenly, in faux leopard-skin capes and miner’s hats with lights.

I also admire him for transcending existential categories. He insisted he hadn’t been born, but always existed, coming to Earth from outer space, specifically the planet Saturn. Like many immigrants, he was self-invented, but radically so. He rejected being black or white or American or even human. He opted for extraterrestrial and wore his otherness like a crown.

Ernie Barnes 1938-2009

Ernie Barnes, who died at 70 of complications from a rare blood disorder, was a professional football player turned successful artist, whose work so vividly captured the tenor of African American life and culture.

The First 100 Days

The first 100 days as a benchmark for a presidency is nothing more than a meaningless journalistic and media conceit, having more to do with circulation and audience share.

The Washington Natinals

Last season the Washington Nationals lost 102 games and would seem to be on pace to replicate that dubious distinction winning just once in their first eleven games this season. And their ineptitude isn't confined to the baseball diamond. Yesterday two of their players, Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn, wore jerseys emblazoned with the word NATINALS.