Because it's such a beautiful morning...

...here's the opening movement of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony to get you into your day, courtesy of Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic.

Open thread.

Comments

[oddjob]

It's a glorious day in the Boston area, too. We're predicted to come close to or break the record high of 86 degrees for today (a record set in 1991).

[Sir Charles]

Yesterday was the earliest 90 degree day ever recorded in Washington DC. Today it is supposed to possibly hit 93. I am waiting for the Fox News crew and the Weekly Standard to apologize to Al Gore.

It actually was kind of pleasant despite the heat -- the humidity was not overwhelming and there was a lovely breeze. The pollen count, on the other hand, is off the freakin' charts.

[low-tech cyclist]

Hard to believe that, just five or six weeks ago, we were still up to our keisters in snow here in the DC area. Never in my life have I been so relieved to see spring arrive.

I'm one of those fortunate ones who isn't bothered in the least by the pollen, other than being mildly annoyed by having to wipe yellowish-green stuff off any outdoor table before using it. But that's a price I'll cheerfully pay for this incredibly balmy weather. Last night, it felt more like Maui than DC.

[oddjob]

Usually the yellowish-green stuff isn't even the pollen that creates the havoc. That's usually pine pollen and while it's wind-disseminated it's usually too heavy to be a serious issue for people who have allergies. The bad trees for people are things like maples & oaks. Maples are definitely blooming up here right now.

[oddjob]

Yet another horrific anecdote that supports always appointing, never electing, judges.

[Prup (aka Jim Benton)]

oddjob: Rick Green is at least as bad as the article claims, though he actually seems much worse. However, the combination of his religious craziness, his history of corruption (involving quack nutritionism) and 'the punch' has actually gotten even Texas Republicans fighting him. (When even Alberto Gonzalez is campsigning against him, he's pretty horrible.) This doesn't mean he'll lose the primary -- especially with early voting -- but he's by no means a shoo-in.

[oddjob]

Yet another example of attempted right wing political violence.

[oddjob]

(Actually I stand corrected. At present I don't know for certain that the indicted suspect's political views are right wing.)

[oddjob]

SCOTUS Justice Stevens has made it official. He's retiring at the end of this session.

[oddjob]

Glenn Greenwald's take on why Elena Kagan would be a truly harmful replacement for Stevens.

(In a nutshell he makes the case that she's too much of a fan of the recent demands of the executive for broad power, something Obama in some ways wants even more than Shrub/Cheney did.)

[oddjob]

Another excellent testimony to the legacy of Justice Stevens.

Hat tip, TPM.