My friend Jaymie sent me this link today to a USA Today story about “freestyle,” a new dance craze sweeping the doggie industry worldwide. Apparently humans are teaming up with mutts for a little cheek-to-cheek action. If you don’t read the story, at least watch the video of a woman and her pooch dancing to “You’re the One that I Want.” Well worth a chuckle (though be it a creepy chuckle).

Today is the day I update old stories, I guess: Ludlow Music, who previously sued digital animation company JibJab, claiming a violation of copyright for JibJab’s use of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” (to which Ludlow claimed they owned the rights) in a political cartoon mocking both presidential candidates, have now dropped the suit. Turns out they don’t own the copyright at all.

This guy, I think, qualifies for Hardest Man Ever:

Hiker who cut off arm does 100-mile race

LEADVILLE, Colo. – A little over a year after cutting off his arm to save his life during a solo hike in Utah, Aspen adventurer Aron Ralston has completed a grueling 100-mile race at over 10,000 feet elevation.

More than 400 runners began the Leadville Trail race before dawn on Saturday, racing through hail and lightning at times, but fewer than half officially completed the race. Some dropped out because of nausea and cramps and others weren’t able to cross the finish line within the 30-hour time limit.

Ralston, an official finisher with a time of 29:43, said he got sick after eating an onion sandwich but continued running despite feeling nauseated.

Two items from today’s WaPo:

First, an editorial that hits several of the key points everyone has been making in this Kerry/Swift Boats mess.

On Slimefest:

“…Mr. Kerry’s emphasis on his Vietnam experience had made questions about his war record fair game. But we said that ads by the group calling itself Swift Boat Veterans for Truth had crossed the line in smearing the service that earned Mr. Kerry three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star. Nothing we’ve seen in the two weeks since has changed that view.”

On whether Kerry is exaggerating his military service:

“Mr. Kerry’s conflicting statements about where and when he was in Cambodia remain troubling. He has backed away from repeated claims that he spent Christmas Eve 1968 in Cambodia, a memory that, he said in a 1986 Senate speech, is “seared — seared — in me.” This does not undermine Mr. Kerry’s military bravery, but it does raise an issue of candor. It’s fair to ask whether this is an episode of foggy memory, routine political embroidery or something more.”

And, finally, on everyone’s seeming desire to start talking about something else:

“The sooner the campaign debate shifts from Swift boats toward substance, the better off voters will be.”

Hm, something else, maybe like, comedy on tonight’s Daily Show featuring John Kerry?

“This will also mark Kerry’s first late-night TV appearance since last November, when he rode onto Leno’s “Tonight Show” stage on a Harley, wearing leather and denim. That night, Kerry played second fiddle on the guest list to Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, who noted of Kerry’s progress at that time: “The poop I left in the dressing room has more heat coming off it than his campaign.”

Which probably explains why Kerry did not pick Leno’s show for tonight’s interview, softball questions or no softball questions.”

Ah, that silly little doggie.

Also, an ouch from David Brooks in the NYT.

I hadn’t seen this yet, but apparently OU made the Princeton Review’s Biggest Party Schools this year, coming in at a hearty number five. Note that last year, OU didn’t even make it into the top 10! Methinks there may have been some sort of grassroots campaign to get OU students to respond to the Princeton Review survey…

Also noted with interest, Washington & Lee is ranked at number two. Will surprise no one who knows the man known in our family as “Tank.”

Ow.

Item One:

Fresh off his New Hampshire primary loss, Bush held a veterans-related rally in Sumter, S.C., where he was introduced by J. Thomas Burch Jr. Standing on the dais with Bush, Burch said McCain “had the power to help the veterans,” but instead he “came home [from Vietnam] and forgot us.”

Immediately, the McCain camp returned fire. The campaign released a list of the dozens of legislative efforts McCain has made on behalf of veterans, including laws pertaining to controversial issues like Agent Orange and Gulf War Syndrome, and an investigation into POW/MIAs.

Then the five Vietnam veterans in the Senate — Max Cleland, D-Ga., Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., John Kerry, D-Mass., Chuck Robb, D-Va. and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., four Democrats and a McCain supporter — fired off a letter to Bush calling on him to “publicly disassociate” himself from the “false” allegations.

“We believe it is inappropriate to associate yourself with those who would impugn John McCain’s character and so maliciously distort his record on these critical issues,” the letter said.

Other letters followed, from seven other former POWs who served with McCain, from South Carolina legislators and so on.

Bush refused to do so, however, responding that Burch was “entitled to his opinion.”

Item Two:

Q On the Swift Boat ad, Kerry is saying that the President is relying on front groups to challenge Kerry’s war record. Why won’t the President denounce this particular ad? McCain asked the President to do so, and every day that you don’t condemn it, it just leaves the door open for the issue to continue.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, Pete, I think there’s a little bit of a mischaracterization there. Senator Kerry knows that his latest attack is false and baseless. The President has condemned all of the ads by the shadowy groups. We have called on Senator Kerry to join us in calling for an end to all the unregulated soft money activity that is going on in this campaign. And the President has stayed focused on the issues and the choices that the voters face. That’s what this ought to be about. There are some clear choices that the voters face for the future. This should not be about the past, and we’ve made that very clear.

Q But don’t you think you could put this matter to rest if you would just condemn this particular ad? That’s what Kerry is asking.

MR. McCLELLAN: And the President has condemned all of the ads and condemned all of the soft money — unregulated soft money that is going on. Senator Kerry should join us in calling for an end to all of this soft money — unregulated soft money activity. Senator Kerry has declined to do so. The President has been on the receiving end of more than $62 million in negative, false attacks from these shadowy groups that exist. The President thought that we got rid of all of this kind of soft money activity when he signed the campaign finance reforms into law. Apparently Senator Kerry was against this soft money activity previously, too. Now he appears to be for it, as long as it benefits his campaign.

Q There are the ads, and then there’s the charge within the ads. Last week at one of the “Ask President Bush” events, a voter stood up and repeated the charge that Senator Kerry had self-inflicted wounds in Vietnam. The President didn’t say anything. What does the President think about the charge?

MR. McCLELLAN: Terry, the President thinks that we should get rid of all of this unregulated soft money activity by these shadowy groups. It’s not known who is contributing to these groups. The President believes that there ought to be full disclosure and rapid disclosure of contributions. He’s called for that previously. He has set an example by doing that himself.

…Q I’m asking the questions right now. The point is that the President has let stand these charges, even made by a voter at one his events, as Terry says, doesn’t say a word about it when he quotes these charges, just lets it go. It seems like the President, while he has certainly called his service noble in the Vietnam War, is happy to let all the rest of the charges sort of fester.

MR. McCLELLAN: No, actually I disagree fully with you, David. Senator Kerry is the one who has given his tacit approval to this kind of unregulated soft money activity by shadowy groups. He can join us in condemning all of this activity and calling for an end to it, and then we can move on to really focus on what this campaign should be about, which is about the differences on the key issues, the differences on the war on terrorism, the differences on how we go about strengthening our economy, and the differences on how we go about supporting our troops when they’re at war.

…Q Do you believe it’s fair game for allies of the President to be charging that John Kerry served dishonrably?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, ultimately in any campaign the voters are going to make the ultimate decision on all the issues. But this goes to the issue of shadowy groups that are funded by unregulated soft money. That’s what this issue is about.

Q By not condemning this ad, you are leaving the impression that you support the contention that John Kerry served dishonorably.

MR. McCLELLAN: We condemned all the ads, Dana. We condemned all the ads. The President condemned all the ads. You heard from him just recently. Why won’t — why won’t Senator Kerry join us in calling for an end to of this activity, when we’ve been on the receiving end of substantial amounts of money of this kind of activity.

Q Forget about the ads. Why won’t you disassociate yourself from the charge that John Kerry served dishonorably in Vietnam?

MR. McCLELLAN: We’ve never questioned his service, and we never will. So I think we’ve made that very clear.

So, you know, as long as you didn’t say it, you don’t have to answer any questions about whether you believe it’s true or not.

Terrible, horrible things can be done to this millimeters-thick patch of shimmering material crafted by chemists at NanoSonic in Blacksburg, Virginia. Twist it, stretch it double, fry it to 200°C, douse it with jet fuel-the stuff survives. After the torment, it snaps like rubber back to its original shape, all the while conducting electricity like solid metal. “Any other material would lose its conductivity,” says Jennifer Hoyt Lalli, NanoSonic’s director of nanocomposites.

The abused substance is called Metal Rubber, and, according to NanoSonic, its particular properties make it unique in the world of material chemistry.

###

Via MeFi, where it’s also pointed out that this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of metal that bends like rubber.