From the sounds of it, Kristen Bell isn't going to wake up any time soon and think, "It's a nice day for a white wedding!" The adorable actress confessed to ShowBiz Spy that she's just not the type of girl to do a traditional celebration for her pending marriage to fiance Dax Shepard. "We’re just not having a wedding, so there’s no story to report there. I mean, we’re still getting married, but we’re going to do it whenever we feel like it," Kristen told the website. "The fact that he asked me to marry him is of a little more importance than me planning a party."

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It's still happening: Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN) has been down for sixteen days after an absurdly large and successful attack compromised the accounts of 77 million gamers. They've offered a month of free service after it finally returns, plus a year of identity theft insurance coverage, which is foolishly, insultingly stingy. Online play is this generation of console's major primary innovation, so this a very big deal for Sony. It's an existential threat to their lucrative gaming division, if not to the business as a whole, and they should be groveling hard.

It's still unclear who did it—though the hackers planted a file with the name and catch-phrase of the Anonymous collective, the group quickly denied responsibility for this attack (though not for other, much smaller attacks vs. Sony). Also unclear: how many accounts were compromised, whether or not encrypted credit card info was taken, how the hackers managed to pull it off, and how long it will take Sony to rebuild the PSN to defend against similar attacks in the future.

Microsoft could play hardball and promote the shit out of Xbox Live for the vast numbers of angry, single-console PSN users, but either they've taken pity on Sony's gentle, bumbling giant—or they've got their own problems with flexibility and reaction speed.

The Stranger Testing Department is Rob Lightner and Paul Hughes.

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In your response last week to "Classy Lady", you told her that "a woman who is pregnant and has decided to have an abortion should tell the guy who knocked her up about the pregnancy and her decision to abort...unless she sincerely believes...that the guy is gonna bully, badger, and/or be violent toward her in an attempt to prevent her from choosing abortion."

I'm a 21-y.o. female dating a 26-y.o. guy who has 6 kids by 5 different women (one of whom passed away a month after giving birth), and in explaining to me how these kids came about, he mentioned that none of the pregnancies were planned (at least three of them happened only after one sexual encounter) but that he is adamantly against abortion and would refuse to allow a woman to abort his children. He has mentioned to me several times throughout the course of our (four-month) relationship his desire for me to stop taking my birth control pills, insisting that being with me makes him feel ready to start a family and that our child(ren) would be the only ones that he wanted to have. Are these red flags? I mean, he is a great father, has been through a lot in his life to the point where I would understand how he has made destructive &/or inadvisable choices in his past (his youngest is 3), and as time goes on he seems more comfortable confiding in me and opening up to me about his life.

I wish that was the only contentious issue; a couple of days ago, he brought me to his apartment (which I had never been to before and where his most-recent baby-mother and their child are staying since she just moved back to town). A couple of times before he brought me over he asked me if I would be willing to have a threesome, which is something I am not entirely opposed to if the conditions were right. But then he told me it would be with this baby-mother because she is bisexual and he trusts her and wouldn't want to bring just anyone into our relationship. I was entirely opposed to this and feel as though I made it clear to him. However, later that evening and into the next morning, she basically cock-blocked us and then they both passively propositioned me the next morning, as he grabbed both of us to him and she asked me whether I was down or not. I missed many opportunities to speak up or ask her to leave us alone, and also shut down a couple of times when he asked me what was on my mind because I wanted to speak to him at length in private. I wonder if they have been fooling around in the week or so that they have been staying together and whether this was orchestrated behind my back the whole time, or whether I can even trust him in spite of all that we have been through and our normally great relationship/communication. I also haven't heard from him since.

I know this whole thing might sound ridiculous but I really need a dose of reality and perspective that I hope you are willing to provide to me, even if you don't print this.

Too Heartbroken and Confused to Think of a Clever Acronym

My response after the jump...

Run.

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This just popped into the inbox:

hey, I went to spreading santorum website thinking it was Santorum's website. Then I saw it was a joke website and you wrote it. Are you gay or something man you need to get a life. wow.

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Now the Canucks are up 3-1 in the series. I am not happy about this.

The only thing that could cheer me up is a) the Predators winning the next three games (if the Blackhawks can do it, so can they!) and b) the Red Wings losing tonight's game against the Sharks and being out of the playoffs.

In other hockey-related news: Shea Weber's playoff beard has a Twitter account.

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This week's issue of Seattle Gay News breaks the story of a transgender woman—a recent Phoenix transplant named Kira Crowley—who was called a "faggot" and punched in the face by a stranger earlier this week on Capitol Hill. The SGN interviews the victim, who states that the encounter started this way: "I just smiled at him... then he punched me. There was no reason. We didn't interact." The Seattle Police Department is investigating this as a bias crime and has requested that harassment charges be brought against the suspect. In the meantime, I asked SPD for the report and found the victim's statements in the report to be slightly different than what she conveyed to SGN:

According to the report, the woman stated that she was walking down the sidewalk on May 2 near Bellevue Avenue and Pine Street when she noticed a man approaching in the opposite direction. According to the report, the woman told officers she smiled at the man and blew him a kiss.

In response, the man allegedly said, “There’s a faggot right there. I want to terminate people like them.” According to the victim, the man then punched her in the nose and boarded a metro bus headed downtown. The officer's report notes that the victim indeed had "a minor injury to the nose."

The officers broadcast the suspect's description, which led to the suspect being detained at 6th Avenue and Pine Street. After being positively identified by the victim, the suspect was transported to the East Precinct for questioning. There, the suspect admitted to punching the victim on her cheek but not without reason.

As the suspect tells it, he was walking down the sidewalk when the victim approached him and "physically kissed him on the cheek." The report notes that the suspect "did not admit to yelling anything." Questioning officers noted that suspect appeared to be both "intoxicated and disoriented," the report states.

I'm not trying to downplay what happened—clearly no one should be punched in the face or threatened with termination while walking down a city street, especially for blowing or delivering kisses. But given the seriousness of the charges, it's worth examining the nuances.

On a side note, according to SGN, the victim was "so impressed" with the professionalism exhibited by the Seattle police officers who took her statement. Good work, SPD.

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I've been following the work of one Otis Calvin III, AKA Seattle producer/singer/MC OC Notes, for some time now. Back in 2007, I met him at a Grieves CD release at Nectar, where he expressed deep displeasure during the set of a pre-Mad Rad Terry Radjaw (with a scantily-clad Buffalo Madonna playing back-up dancer); funny in hindsight, seeing as the dudes are friends and collaborators now (Out For Stardom put out that excellent Metal Chocolates record)-but that's how a lot of my friendships started too, come to think of it. I was impressed by his otherwise laidback demeanor and the musical mind he dispayed during our blunt session backstage, and kept up with cat via Myspace. He left for school in Arizona (the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences) the following year but was kind enough to send me a huge care package of self-burned CD's, a treasure trove of his work (some of which didn't see release til a couple years afterward). I was especially taken with his collection Greetings From the 9th Dimension and, enthralled with its' spacey headtrip, found it creeping into my regular rotation with the quickness. Ever since, his catalog, profile and reputation has only gotten bigger, and very deservedly so; if he hadn't been compared to dude a million times already by myself and others, it would be fair to call Notes Seattle's own answer to Madlib. Medicine is his latest all-instrumental outing, chunky with bizarre vocal snippets and sound effects. Five bucks for the scrip!

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So, yeah. I went to see Charlie Sheen on Tuesday night. By myself. In Everett. The reason I went to see Charlie Sheen wasn't because I like Charlie Sheen, it was because my bosses decided that I needed to go see Charlie Sheen and write about Charlie Sheen and maybe destroy Charlie Sheen the way I maybe destroyed Gallagher a little bit. The reason I went by myself to Charlie Sheen was that Charlie Sheen refused to do any press comps on this tour (he "hates the press"—hahaha, right), and tickets to Charlie Sheen cost $50, and the aforementioned bosses declined to pay an extra $50 just so that I would have a hand to hold while watching Charlie Sheen. The reason it was in Everett was because it's Charlie Sheen. Was he going to play Benaroya? Please.

Now, I know I'm just mad at Everett because it happens to be the setting of my recent traumatic full-body Sheening. So please forgive me—I know it's not Everett's fault. BUT SERIOUSLY, EVERETT, OH MY GOD. Every business in Everett is either a bail bondsman or a Dairy Queen. Or a rape alley. Every moment spent in Everett feels like you're in an episode of The First 48. I texted my friend about this and he wrote back: "Yup, the most depressing thing I've ever seen was in Everett. It was an 11-year-old girl practicing stripper moves on a pole holding up the canopy of a bail bond office." REALLY? HOW LONG AGO WAS THAT BECAUSE I HEAR UNCLE CHARLIE IS IN THE MARKET FOR A NEW "GODDESS."

Anyway, it took me until today to write about the show because there's really nothing to say. Charlie Sheen is the most boring man on earth. The Charlie Sheen meme was entertaining for the first six hours after it happened—before Charlie Sheen learned about the Charlie Sheen meme and turned it into his one-man Withered Blowhard Catchphrase Jamboree. The WBCJ was held at the Comcast Arena, a 10,000-seat venue that was a little less than half-full. In case you're not a mathemagician like me, a little less than half of 10,000 people is still a fuckton of people—people who somehow aren't tired of listening to their creepy, addled uncle spout his same four self-aggrandizing uncle-jokes over and over. Many of these people wanted to show Uncle Charlie their tits (and they did).

Oh, you mean I can sit in a room and have a delusional drug-addict blowhard yell in my face for two hours about all the excuses for why his asshole boss fired him? DUDE, THAT'S CALLED A FAMILY REUNION.

Uncle Charlie, these people are not your fans. They are laughing at you. Also, you are terrible. Please stop talking and go take a nap. You're scaring the dog.

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The Move were a considered pop band in the UK, they were a huge group actually, and they were big in Europe as well. Their shows are somewhat legend as they'd go a little nuts and smash up TVs and fucking CARS on stage. However, even as they were kinda trying to be heavies they were just never considered heads. So, although they played with groups like Tomorrow and at the Roundhouse, no one considered them much otherwise. I've heard 'em described as "too slick." Oh, dig their live Something Else EP, it's all West Coast US sike AND Jackie Wilson covers!!

In the US the Move were considered an underground band, they were known, but they didn't crack the '60s market beyond some 45s on Deram. Their first US LP was Shazam (A&M;)...a HEAVY record, but a couple years after their pop phase. I'd reckon they didn't get the promo push cause they had work AND it took a LOT of work/$$$ in 1967 for English (London) bands like the Who and the Cream to break the US. Those poor fellas who tried played a lot of shit rip off shows and dodgy package tours. That said, all the Move records are fantastic...they were a big influence on Cheap Trick (and pre-CT Fuse) and all the '70s power pop you've heard.

The Move along with members of the Idle Race evolved into Electric Light Orchestra. ELO was originally intended to be a Roy Wood side project, if you've ever heard the first ELO LP, ELO, you know what I mean...

Anyways, here is the Move live on German TV via Beat Beat Beat, 1967. LIVE!!

PS - Now we can shoe horn 'em in as a group that played freakbeat, but the term didn't exist until the early '80s when Phil Smee made it up to describe beat groups that wrote songs which were not quite psychedelic and not quite Scouser pop. And it's not a band genre, just a term for a specific sound.

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Oh, man.

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Since we live in the internet, we won't weigh the merits of hard-copy Yellow Pages. We also won't discuss whether Yellow Pages companies have a free-speech right to deliver dozens of pounds of doorstops filled with advertisements to your porch, because that would also suggest that I have a Constitutional right to deliver a thousand anvils engraved with messages to your lawn.

Let the facts speak for themselves. Yesterday, Seattle's city-run, yellow pages opt-out registry went live, allowing residents to stop delivery of the six brands of yellow pages delivered in the city. During the first 12 hours, 8,800 households logged on and opted out of 59,600 phone books, according to the office of Seattle City Council member Mike O'Brien, who sponsored legislation to create the registry. In the first 12 hours! Peak traffic at noon showed 1,300 people were on the site at the same time. That's barely a dent in the 2 million books delivered each year in Seattle, but it was only the first day.

Who's pissed? Yellow Pages, Dex, and SuperMedia, which filed a motion yesterday—what a coincidence—asking a federal judge for a temporary restraining order to stop the opt-out registry. There's been a lawsuit underway for a while that claims doorstops made of ads are protected by the First Amendment or something, but the phone book companies want immediate action. Here's the temporary restraining order they filed.

Those fuckers. You can opt-out here.

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I often hear people talk about ‘intentions’ in respect to their interpersonal relationships: Of course I intended to do it. They did intend to do it but something I said or did must have caused them to change their mind. I don’t think he/she set out with the intention to hurt me. Intention is all [...]

The Hangover Part II is almost here, and we're so excited to see what Phil, Stu, and Alan get up to in Thailand! To celebrate, we are giving away a once-in-a-lifetime experience where you'll get to experience LA with your own "wolf pack." You and your two best friends will receive a trip to LA, where you'll get to attend the red-carpet premiere of The Hangover Part II and the exclusive afterparty! That's not all – you and your best friends will get red-carpet ready with a full beauty makeover by the fabulous team at Warren Tricomi and get styled by David Meister in his gorgeous red-carpet looks. Best girls' weekend ever! First "like" PopSugar and Hangover on Facebook and then enter to win by taking our fun trivia quiz testing your knowledge on the original wolf pack – Stu, Phil, and Alan. Check out the official rules here. If you're not already a PopSugar member, register now for free. The sweepstakes ends May 10 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. The Hangover Part II opens in theaters nationwide on May 26!

Step 1: Like PopSugar and Hangover on Facebook!
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The Hangover

Step 2: Take Our Quiz Below!

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• Back in the '70s, Steven Tyler got his 14-year-old girlfriend pregnant (most likely while high on loads of drugs). At the suggestion of their friends, she had an abortion, which is described in the 1975 oral history of Aerosmith, Walk This Way, as an experience that really "messed Steven up." In Steven's new memoir, Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?, he touches on his relationship with the young woman and their drug addiction: Steven later left the young woman for Bebe Buell — Liv Tyler's mom — and she became suicidal. A right-wing writer for National Review, a conservative magazine, is now using Steven's story to illustrate an example of "post-abortion syndrome," a quack diagnosis that is not acknowledged by medical professionals. Steven Tyler's drug abuse, philandering and anger management problems were all "symptoms" of a grieving post-abortive father, according author Kevin Burke. Ugh, this pisses me off to no end. No one except for Steven Tyler can say for sure exactly what encouraged his lifelong addictions and I find it gross and opportunistic than some right-winger is shrieking, "It's because of the abortion!" [Jezebel, National Review]

• The Beatles' Paul McCartney is reportedly engaged to Nancy Shevell, his longtime girlfriend. Good luck, Paul! I hope being with Nancy Shevell works out better than that Heather Mills fiasco. [PopEater]
• Happy 50th birthday, George Clooney! Let us know if you need a birthday spanking! [Celebuzz]
• Check out "Glee"'s cover of Rebecca Black's song, "Friday," y'all. [ONTD]
• An Italian university is warning its students to stay away from the "Jersey Shore" cast when they begin filming in Florence, Italy, soon. Not sleeping with the cast of "Jersey Shore" is only implied. [ONTD]

I have a question for the large breasted women. Is sleeping uncomfortable for you and if so, how do you deal with it? I've heard contradicting things about wearing bras at night. I recently started sleeping without a bra and oh man- it's totally uncomfortable. I was wearing sports bras to bed before and I think I'll go back to doing that.

Is it advised to wear bras at night? I keep hearing different things about it. How do other well endowed women deal with sleeping? Thanks in advance. :)

Enjoying the Kentucky Derby together. How to meet a guy if you're an over 35 divorcee. What is Single Woman Syndrome? Why being happy is sexy. 10 extra reasons to love condoms. What guys think of menstruation. How to initiate sex after a lady has a baby. When he doesn't say "I love you." How to win over in-laws.

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In the run up to the big day, bookies have been minting fortunes. Odds were offered on the music, the honeymoon venue, the color of the Queen's hat. Even the length of the sermon. Will the bride's wedding car break down before her prince whisks her off in a ceremonial coach? What shade of white will the dress be? Will Prince Harry remain sober for his best man speech? Will his trousers split? The gloomiest bets by far have been on how long the marriage will last. Some say a day. Some, a lifetime. One to 10 years seems to be the favorite.

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At some point in the next three to four weeks, I will be giving birth to mine and my husband’s first child. As the big day approaches, and while I waddle around in public, I get the inevitable question: "Are you nervous?" The truth is, not a single bit. And why should I be? I am completely educated and prepared, and I trust that my body knows just what to do. After all, this baby kept on growing inside me with very little effort on my part. I believe that it also will handle most of what needs to happen in order for her to move on out. I said, most.

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FROM THE EDITOR: Erotica author Alison Tyler and I are launching the Fast and Easy Book Club! Alison will post 2-3 new book club picks every two weeks. One Club selection is chosen for discussion each month. To win a copy of May’s selection Beauty’s Punishment, be one of the first five people to comment [...]

• A rundown of where each state stands on marriage equality - Equally Wed
• Bride and groom surprise each other with music at Puerto Rico wedding - Style Me Pretty
• This DIY wedding uses love story book pages for decor - Green Wedding Shoes
• An engagement shoot inspired by Lost in Translation - 100 Layer Cake
• Kate Hudson prefers "baby daddy" over "fiancé" - Huffington Post
• Wedding planning 101 tips - Glamour
• Celebs who tied the knot with the same person twice - The Frisky
• Advice from real brides on getting in shape before your wedding - FitSugar
• Callie and Arizona tie the knot in Grey's Anatomy season finale - BuzzSugar

Photo copyright 2011 ABC, Inc.

In this new PSA with the stars of Teen Mom, the girls try to warn teens about the dangers of sex by saying they should have just cuddled with their baby daddies instead of doing the deed. By focusing on cuddling as a viable way to prevent teen-sex consequences, this video takes a roundabout approach to talking about safe sex, STDs, and pregnancy prevention. Maybe the idea is that these girls just wanted intimacy with their boyfriends over the physical act of intercourse, but the video isn't quite clear with its message. Watch the video below and tell us what you think about the PSA.

Is Cuddling-Over-Sex an Effective Message?

Yes

No

"It's weird to say fiance to me, I like baby daddy … So he'll be baby daddy until he's hubby."

—Kate Hudson on what she calls her soon-to-be husband, Matt Bellamy. Begrudgingly, I find this cute. It's nice to see a woman who has a sense of humor about her shotgun wedding. [Huffington Post]

Oh, how we love Rachel McAdams. So we were pretty pumped when we read that she recently said of doing a cameo in "Sherlock Holmes 2," "It was nice to revisit. It's why I've always thought I would like to do television. You get really intimate with your character. Often with film, I find that you're just really getting to know a person. They're just starting to sink in, and then you wrap the film. So, it was nice to get to bring her back and have time to meditate on her a bit more. I liked that exercise." How exciting would it be to get a weekly dose of Rachel on the small screen? Woo hoo! [PopWrap]

To make this dream into a reality, we've brainstormed some show concepts for her. Rachel, feel free to take these to the production company of your choosing.

Crystal gravy boats? Meh. Monogrammed towels? Yawn. Gold-threaded table linens? Whatevs. A baby f**king penguin courtesy of England's Chester Zoo? Now that is the best wedding gift given to Prince William and Kate Middleton! Don't be alarmed, animal rights activists—little Acorn the Penguin isn't going to be living at Buckingham Palace. He'll chill with the commoner penguins at the zoo, but hopefully his new mom and dad will come visit from time to time. Check out one more photo of Acorn after the jump. Want! [via Buzzfeed]

I guess we shouldn't be too surprised when Maxim does something totally looks-ist and gross. Apparently, the magazine sent out a pretty horrifying invite to their Hot 100 party that is going down in Los Angeles next week. The party is to celebrate the 100 women who they've dubbed the hottest in the world—#1 this year is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley—but they apparently want to make sure that the room doesn't have any fugly ladies in it. According to The New York Post, their invitation read, "The invite is for beautiful female guests only, 21 or older. E-mail RSVP with a recent photo. Confirmation required." The audacity of inviting someone to a shindig and then setting them up to be judged on their appearance ... well ... it makes me pretty mad. A Maxim rep says that this wasn't an official invite, and was sent out by an outside promoter, and we'll hope that's the case. But if it's true, I can't wait for the day when men have to submit photos and have their looks judged just to be put on the list for a lame party. Maybe there should be an IQ test, too.

C'mon, Converse, you could not possibly be serious with this shoe. This sandal is a travesty. As an environmentalist, I am appalled. No one is going to buy this shoe and then every single pair you've produced is going to end up in a landfill somewhere. The phrase is "Earth first," Converse, not "Hideous sandal/hightop hybrid first, Earth second." Shame on you. [$40, Converse]

Let me start off by saying how much I appreciate your patience. I know that over the last few months, our tech issues have been varied and vast, for reasons I can't explain because A) I don't entirely understand them because I have a silly liberal arts degree and B) it would take too long. But I can report good news and that is that we've ironed out most of the issues associated with Disqus, our new commenting system. Comments are now appearing under their correct threads. While the posts still aren't counting how many comments they've gotten—we're hoping to have that fixed shortly—you can comment and your comment will show up where it's supposed to, as opposed to under some unrelated post. (If you see otherwise, please let me know!) In the process of fixing the bugs, we did lose some comments left over the last few days and for that we offer our apologies. If you encounter any further problems with Disqus, feel free to leave a comment under this post or directly. Thank you!

"Guys Who Like Fat Chicks."

I assumed the worst when I read that headline. Can you blame me? As I started to read the Village Voice article about men who are attracted to obese women, I prepared myself to be offended by men who objectify and fetishize a stigmatized, marginalized group of women to get their rocks off. Luckily, what I read was surprisingly respectful and nuanced.

The Kentucky Derby has been going strong for 136 hat-filled years. But in all those races, a mere five female jockeys have competed—and none of them crossed the finish line first. But this weekend, we're hoping that Rosie Napravnik, age 23, can change that. Rosie (left) will be rising a horse with the best name ever—Pants on Fire—who has a good shot at winning after taking home the win at the Louisiana Derby. May Kentucky be as lucky a state for Rosie.

Oh, but there are two more interesting ladies hoping for Derby glory—trainers Kathy Ritvo and Kathleen O'Donnell.

"Celebrity Wife Swap" is going to happen, people: ABC is currently casting celebs for six episodes of "Wife Swap," the show where two families trade moms and lifestyles for a week. We can probably expect "Celebrity Wife Swap" to be similar—just thinner, richer and most likely more crazy.

You do have May 13 marked down in your calendar as the day when "Bridesmaids" hits theaters, don't you? I saw the movie last night at a screening—one of the perks of my job, gotta say—and while I can't give too much away (look for our review on Monday!), I will say you will CRACK THE HELL UP. Anyway, I think everyone can agree seeing a movie about bridesmaids is infinitely better than actually being one, but if you're stuck with the latter, we've got the giveaway for you! One lucky reader will score a "Bridesmaids Survival Kit"—stocked with lip balm, mints, comb/mirror, nail files and a shot glass engagement ring—and a $100 Visa cash card, and no, don't worry, you don't actually have to be a bridesmaid in an upcoming wedding to be eligible.

WIN THIS! Tell us in the comments what your ideal Ladies' Night Out entails—the most creative and thought-provoking answers will walk away with the "Bridesmaids Survival Kit" and $100 Visa Cash Card. Enter by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, 2011. We'll pick our favorite response and announce the winner Friday, May 13. You must live in the U.S. or Canada to win. (Read the official rules here.) Good luck!

On May 5, 1986, some may remember celebrating Cinco de Mayo while simultaneously saying "so long" to sitcom The Love Boat. The nine-year-old program finally ran aground after numerous seasons of helping…

Most of us have never associated Mother’s Day with unfaithful women, but there appears to be a connection – especially if men don’t remember their women on that sentimental holiday. According to the New York Post, the day following Mother’s Day is the second most popular day women start…

Do you want him to be a mind reader? And other possible areas where it's not just him, it's you! -Julia Austin, …

Hi all,

I recently switched to Yaz because of side effects from Lutera. I got a call from my doctor yesterday saying that new research has just come out that states that users of Yaz have a significantly higher risk of getting blood clots than any other pill. She suggested I switch pills (her suggestion was Loestrin) or try the Nuvaring. I finally feel like myself again on Yaz (one of the said side effects of Lutera) so I don't really want to switch but she's scared me. Have you guys heard about this? Are all you Yaz users planning on switching? And if so, to what?

Thanks so much!

NEW ORLEANS — In their neighborhoods, they are sometimes taunted with dirty looks and jeers. Their pictures hang on the walls of local community centers where their children and grandchildren play. And their names and addresses are listed in newspapers and mailed out on postcards to everyone in the neighborhood. Landing a job or even [...]

A recent study finds that contraceptive use is normal among religious women in the U.S., even Catholics. The statistics show that most women in the contemporary U.S., regardless of religion, make use of some form of birth control at some point in their lives. It’s worth considering this information when assessing issues such as federally-funded [...]

I spoke to the coolest (former) Army wife ever. Her husband is a West Point graduate, a Ranger, a Harvard MBA and a great all-around guy. He was deployed in Iraq during the middle of the last decade. While she may not have had the exact same experience as most Army wives, I'm sure it was more similar than it was different. We're not trying to downplay the stresses, especially while pregnant during a deployment, but we'd like to point out there are some real perks to being married to a soldier, sailor, airman or marine.

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You have to hand it to Paul McCartney. Despite a very messy and public divorce from his last wife, Heather Mills, the 68-year-old former Beatle is evidently not afraid to take another stroll down the wedding aisle. According to People Magazine, Paul is engaged to his girlfriend of four years, American socialite and millionaire Nancy Shevell.

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If you're an avid online dater and you're getting pretty sick of the (new)age-old formula of filling out a profile, nudging potential matches and waiting to get winks back, then let us introduce you to InboxCupid.

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Our little girl isn't looking for advice; she's looking to connect. And she does that through what she shares, expecting reciprocation. So in two-and-a-half years, she's managed to teach my husband more about communicating with women than I have.

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The Nation:

It’s been over three months since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives and strengthened their caucus in the Senate. The central premise of the GOP midterm campaign was that it could create badly needed jobs—the Republican National Committee drove a bus through the lower 48 states emblazoned with the slogan: “Need a Job? Fire Pelosi!”

Now, after focusing its initial legislative efforts on repealing “ObamaCare,” pushing Tea Party-backed dreams like a balanced budget amendment, and fighting to strip regulatory agencies of their authority, the GOP has finally released a job plan…that consists of a balanced budget amendment, the repeal of Obamacare, and several assaults on regulatory authority.

What will the GOP's job plan do? Essentially put the breaks on this:

Job growth has been strong since the beginning of the year, with 768,000 jobs added since January. And Friday's report also showed that 46,000 more jobs were added in February and March than previously thought.

Seriously, read the whole Nation article. It is amazing how the GOP gets away with such rubbish as this: "The first part of the plan attempts to attack the federal deficit." It is amazing how the rural folk who keep them in power can't get a fucking clue. Without Obama's deficit spending, this economy would not be recovering at all. It would instead be like the night when all of your cows are black. Do you rural types understand that? Does this get through your thickness? These night cows?

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"Heard this on NPR's Morning Edition this morning, in what appears to be a PRE-RECORDED news segment. I guess public radio cutbacks began with editors."

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In Case You Missed It: Republicans threaten to defund National Labor Relations Board over Boeing ruling and The Stranger live-slogs last night's rickety-ass, Santorum-covered Republican presidential debate.

Dorothy Parvaz: Still missing in Syria, as concerns for her safety and calls for her release proliferate.

Haters Gonna Hate, Terrorists Gonna Terrorize: Al Qaeda vows that Bin Laden's death will serve as a "curse that chases the Americans and their agents, and goes after them inside and outside their countries," as the terror group says in a new message. "Soon—with help from Allah—their happiness will turn into sorrow, and their blood will be mixed with their tears."

Give Us the Details: "Two United Nations human rights watchdogs have asked the US to provide details about the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, in particular whether it ever included the possibility that he could be captured alive," reports The Guardian.

Cinco de Mayo in South Park: Celebrated with groundbreaking on the forthcoming new bridge, visiting political leaders, and a 26-foot-long, 7-foot-tall bridge-shaped piñata.

V-Bar Goes Dry: Troubled Belltown bar—whose owner isn't above trying to stop on-site fights by firing a gun in the air—denied liquor license.

Trippy Dinner: Connecticut mom faces criminal charges after allegedly serving her 5-year-old daughter noodles laced with PCP.

The Limited Return of Smoke?: Washington State lawmakers look into modifying the smoking ban.

Meanwhile in Eastern Washington: "A Colville man and his stepdaughter who were found fatally shot last week were in a romantic relationship and practiced a pagan religion, according to the woman who was the man's wife and the girl's mother," reports the Associated Press.

That's Not Kosher: Israeli rabbi convicted of molesting female passenger on flight out of Tel Aviv.

Local Print Media Is on Fire!: As vandals torch six Seattle newspaper boxes in two days.

Here Is a Thing That Exists: "The FBI has raided the Gig Harbor home of an alleged hacker suspected in a cyber attack against Kiss bassist Gene Simmons," reports Seattlepi.com.

FInally, happy birthday to Orson Welles, the legendary director and actor born on this day in 1915. In the YouTube era, Welles will perhaps be best remembered as that drunk guy trying to sell champagne, but of course he's so much more. Here's footage from Welles' greatest work, set to the song he inadvertently co-wrote with Jack White. (Film created by Jack Metier.)

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Among the questions we'll be considering on this morning's Weekday: Is it right to celebrate Bin Laden's death? Some answers, starting at 10 a.m. on 94.9 FM.

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Top three comments from Youtube:

... drunky little king of limbs :)

MrBildung1 21 hours ago 9

DUDE! get a mic or record it from the board.. shit sounds horrible but nice vid :)

maniladori 20 hours ago 5

waooo amazing, trust me... this kinda music will be the next album.. radiohead's or Thom solo's... sounds so gorillaz or it's my impression?

lascumbianchalas 1 hour ago

via Pitchfork

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It's been a bad week for Republicans, what with the dramatic assassination of Osama bin Laden followed by last night's pathetic kickoff to the 2012 presidential nomination. And GOP prospects only got worse this morning with the release of the third consecutive month of job growth in excess of 200,000.

The Labor Department said Friday that 244,000 jobs were added last month after a gain of a revised 221,000 in March. The unemployment rate rose to 9 percent in April from 8.8 percent in March. ... As has been the case for several months, all of the increase came from private employers, which added another 268,000 jobs last month, after a revised gain of 231,000 in March, the report said. Results of the previous two months were revised to show another 46,000 jobs were added.

That's the good news. The bad news is that the job gains may have partially resulted from one-time factors, and don't appear to be distributed evenly across the economy. Employment growth has been strongest for workers 55 and older, while actually falling in the 25-44 age group. And unemployment remains extremely high for African Americans, who as a group have seen few job gains during the recovery.

All in all, while today's job numbers are considerably stronger than economists had expected, nobody's predicting this trend to continue without interruption. Still, for a party that has pinned its political prospects on Obama failing, even this small tidbit of positive economic news must come as a blow to Republican hopefuls who just had foreign policy yanked out from under them as an effective campaign talking point in 2012.

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I'm sure you've all seen/heard this, fine, but me, I just got wind of this Wednesday. Um. Uh...okay, really? This is a "tribute"...this is the BEST nerds at endless noise could muster as a Motown/girl group tribute. (sigh) Really.

Now, in order to unwreck whatever that "tribute" may have wrecked of your fine Friday morning, dig the Les Chansonettes, an honest to GOD real '60s girl group, it'll make things better.

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I don't even know why I'm writing this blog post. DOGS ARE FUCKING STUPID—this truth we hold to be self-evident. They are easily fooled by the fake throw, they freak out when an ambulance passes by, and they eat garbage as well as their own poop. In other words, you don't need any further convincing that dogs are just about as stupid as a jar full of gravel. HOWEVER! For those who do? There's this.

Stupid fucking dog.

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