South Carolina as viewed from Charleston

Thanks to Cedar Posts for the map!

Friday Earworms

Is everyone having an excellent start to the weekend? If you need some musical accompaniment, you've come to the right place.

Currently, I am preparing for our trip to Charlotte for HeroesCon... unfortunately, it will be even hotter tomorrow than it is now. Hydration! Packing extra kombucha and Tramadol.

Maybe I'll even meet up with my Blogdonia heroine and alter ego, Fanboy Wife. Perhaps we should have some kind of 12-Step meeting while we're there, modeled on Al-Anon: Are you married to a Fanboy? Chances are, you're as addicted to sick behavior as he is!

NO, NO, I refuse to believe it! Denial, denial!

PS: It's been awhile since I've shared my earworms, so here you go.

~*~

I recently heard this gem on our local wonder-station, WPCI-AM, and I've been hearing it in my head ever since. Just beautiful!

Passion Play - Joni Mitchell



~*~

This one also comes courtesy of WPCI... Good Lord, will you listen to this woman SING?! I have no idea how old this tune is, but it sounds ancient... raw and unglossed. Lovelovelove!

A Fool in Love - Ike and Tina Turner



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I was worried, the last time I posted a song by Journey, that I'd jeopardized my musical cred... and whaddaya know, Journey's been rehabbed! Tony Soprano, we owe him.

This is what is known as a "power ballad" (did Journey actually invent the power ballad?), and if I hear it just once, these lovely intertwining riffs stay lodged in my head for weeks.

Weeks, I tell you.

Send her my love - Journey



~*~

This song has plagued me since the death of my father in late April; I'm hoping once I post it here, it will stop continuously haunting me.

Probably not, though.

Mansion on a Hill - Hank Williams



Hope you all have a great weekend.

John Edwards indicted by federal grand jury

This just in! Former North Carolina Senator (and 2004 Vice Presidential candidate) John Edwards has been indicted for cooking the campaign books to support one Ms Rielle Hunter (see Enquirer cover, left). Not simply another report of hanky-panky from a politician, this indictment claims funds were illegally diverted from Edwards' presidential campaign to financially support (and silence) Hunter, the mother of his child.

From CBS:

RALEIGH, N.C. — A federal grand jury has indicted two-time presidential candidate John Edwards over money spent to cover up his extramarital affair during the height of his 2008 campaign for the White House.

The case of USA v. Johnny Reid Edwards contains six counts, including conspiracy, four counts of illegal campaign contributions and one count of false statements. The indictment was returned in the Middle District of North Carolina Friday.

An Edwards spokeswoman said she wasn't aware of the filing and declined immediate comment.

The indictment is the culmination of a federal investigation that lasted more than two years and scoured through virtually every corner of Edwards' political career.

Edwards' attorney Greg Craig met Friday with prosecutors in North Carolina, an indication that the former presidential candidate is likely to be charged, either in a grand jury indictment or in a negotiated charge to which he would plead guilty.

A person with knowledge of the investigation said Craig, a Washington lawyer who was President Barack Obama's first White House counsel, planned to be in his client's home state Friday, where prosecutors were prepared to file charges. The source insisted on anonymity in order to discuss the private negotiations.

Edwards has had North Carolina representation throughout the investigation, but Craig was brought onto the team earlier this year when the decision whether to charge him still rested with Justice Department officials in Washington.

Those officials have approved criminal charges; they decided that the hundreds of thousands of dollars that two Edwards donors gave to help keep his mistress, in hiding were contributions that should have been reported publicly by his campaign fund because they aided his bid for the Democratic White House nomination. Edwards' lawyers have argued that the funds were gifts from old friends intended to keep the affair a secret from his wife, Elizabeth, who died of cancer in December.

A plea to a felony charge involving campaign finances could strip Edwards of his law license and end any hope he could work as an attorney for the poor. And a trial would mean more sordid stories about his campaign affair and the child he fathered during it, further battering his reputation.

Even if he were to win the case, it appears the 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee would do so by making a humiliating argument: that money used to keep his mistress and out-of-wedlock child in hiding was intended to shield the affair from his cancer-stricken wife — not to aid his candidacy, which is what prosecutors believe.

"Trial or not, John Edwards is the Charlie Sheen of American politics — great hair and no chance for rehabilitation," said Democratic consultant Jack Quinn.

Political sex scandals can either be just a career glitch (think Newt Gingrich, who recently announced a run for the presidency) or a career-ender (think Mark Foley, who recently declined a run for mayor of West Palm Beach, Fla.). Many Democrats believe Edwards falls into the latter category, as someone who faces little chance of revitalizing his image even if he emerges victorious from his legal case.

Edwards' attorneys have denounced the investigation as a waste of resources and contend he did not violate the law.

Edwards has said he hopes that once this case is behind him he can revive his legal career, specializing in helping the victims of poverty he championed on the campaign trail. However, a lawyer in North Carolina who pleads guilty or no contest to a criminal offense faces disciplinary action by the State Bar, ranging from a mild rebuke to a loss of license to practice.

The case against Edwards focused on the private money used to keep Edwards' mistress in hiding. Andrew Young, a former aide to Edwards, initially claimed paternity of mistress Rielle Hunter's child and traveled around the country keeping her in seclusion. Young has said he received hundreds of thousands of dollars of support from two wealthy Edwards donors.

Another dent in an Edwards' revival is moving ahead in civil court, where Young and Hunter are battling over a purported sex tape involving the former candidate. Edwards has been deposed as part of that lawsuit.

Gary Pearce, a Democratic strategist who helped get Edwards elected to the Senate, said he'd prefer to see Edwards take a plea deal and avoid a grueling trial that would rehash past sins.

"We've all had enough," said Pearce, who doesn't think Edwards will ever be able to return to politics.

I dunno about that... if Newt Gingrich can run for president as a moralist, anyone can.

Casey Anthony trial, week 2

Wow, ladies and gents, this trial is so hot, it's like having an unseen, shiny brand new season of LAW AND ORDER on DVD from Netflix. Yow! I can barely tear myself away to buy groceries.

Scandalmongers throughout the land, I can attest that this trial is where it's at--as we used to say.

To spice up the proceedings, we have Detective Yuri Melich, who was reprimanded for posting on a crime blog about the case, under the name Dick Tracy Orlando (Mr Daisy approves of comic-book reference). I hope this isn't an issue on appeal; my personal opinion is that anyone--including law enforcement--should be able to post anonymously (or under a pseudonym) about anything they please ... the question is whether he was as anonymous as he should have been. Did everyone know who he "really" was, and does that count for anything? This is an important First Amendment matter, and I hope this case sets some kind of precedent.

Admission: I love it that blogs are taken seriously in such a high-profile case. All power to the bloggers!

This week: The testimony of Casey's mother, Cindy Anthony, was wrenching. It nearly did Cindy in completely, and me too. Before this testimony, I didn't realize that Caylee, her deceased granddaughter, was born only a month before my own. She would be six years old this year, starting school, if she had not been murdered. Cindy wept upon seeing photos of Caylee's playhouse and bedroom, especially her little stuffed bears and other toys. Just imagine, your granddaughter is dead, and you may lose your only daughter to the death penalty.

Tellingly, Casey showed no emotion during her mother's continuous sobbing. Similarly, when her future sister-in-law Mallory Parker testified and also started to cry, she succeeded in showing more emotion than the child's own mother.

Today: We are now listening to the tape recording made at Universal Studios, when it was finally made obvious that Casey Anthony was lying about working there. She walked around looking for her fictional office at Universal, three cops trailing behind, and then she finally stuck her hands in her back pockets and admitted, "I don't work here." What? You don't work there? And for years, you have told everyone that you do, including your own family?! Holy shit, this woman is a world-class sociopath, making Diane Downs look like very small potatoes indeed.

On the Universal tape, the Orlando detectives are grilling her ass so bad, a mere mortal would have caved long ago. The lead detectives would make Lenny Briscoe and Robert Goren proud. This stuff is great! The incredible ability of Casey Anthony to reel off one well-spun lie after another, without even pausing to think about it, is astounding. I can truthfully say that I have never seen such a thing before. One of the legal commentators wondered aloud if she is the kind of person who could even pass a polygraph, believing her own detailed, in-depth web of fairy tales.

Casey just keeps repeating: the (non-existent) nanny took Caylee. Even though it has been definitively established that no one by the non-existent nanny's name ever lived in the mystery apartment where Caylee was supposedly dropped off; the last place Casey claims to have seen her. Casey keeps repeating these 'facts' anyway. And the Briscoe/Goren duo keep at her, in cop-tones that would make most of us curl up into a fetal position.

But it is quite brazenly obvious on the tape: Casey isn't scared and holds her ground. Freaking bloody amazing!

Tune in tomorrow.

Wordless Wednesday: Metal band

Outside the Art Bar on Main, during Artisphere, I encountered this Metal band, made out of real metal. (And their dog too!)

I regret that I didn't see the artist's name anywhere. (To local folks: if you do know who the artist is, please leave their name in comments.)